Flavors of Lovelace

Blog Announcement

2009-07-26T17:31:00.004-04:00

So the handful of you that read this blog may have noticed that I haven't written anything in a couple of months now. My apologies. It's been a busy summer with vacations, European debauchery, bachelor parties, weddings, work and everything else.

I've decided to take the rest of the summer off. There's not a ton of sports to talk about now anyways, with just baseball going on. Once we hit September, and football takes over my life again, I'll get back to writing.

I'm not done with the Hip Hop writing either, as I'll continue the evaluation of current rappers and the Hip Hop landscape. Tons of good stuff in the future, I promise.

Until Fall though, I'm done. Enjoy your summers.

-Flavors of Lovelace

Ladies and Gentlemen, Your Conference Finals

2009-05-18T19:05:00.010-04:00

When the playoffs started, most thought (including me) that it was a foregone conclusion that we'd see the Cavs vs. the Lakers in the Finals. It was believed that the two best players on the planet, and their respective talented teams, would coast to the Finals, setting up the best mano-a-mano Finals battle since Magic vs. Bird.

After a month of playoff basketball, LeBron's lived up to his end of the bargain. The Cavs look even more legit than we thought, and somehow King James actually looks better than he did during his MVP regular season.

And the Lakers? Not so much. The best adjective I've heard that describes L.A. is "bipolar." We really never know which team we're going to get with them.

So are we still headed for a LeBron and Kobe finale for the ages? Let's break down the conference championships and find out....

***

EASTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Orlando Magic vs. Cleveland LeBro... er Cavaliers

Backcourt
The Magic did their best to shore up their point guard spot when Jameer Nelson went down, trading for Rafer Alston. "Skip to My Lou" is no Nelson, and was pretty terrible for the first six games of the Magic's last series against the Celtics. He showed up in a big way in Game 7, getting in the paint at will and making smart decisions, and he was one of the main reasons why the Celtics coasted. J.J. Redick has been starting in the other gaurd spot. Redick, everyone's favorite Dukie and D.U.I. dodger, has actually been playing half-decent defense in the playoffs, although his shooting has been suspect.

The Cavs backcourt is led by two great shooters in Mo Williams and Delonte West. Mo isn't your prototypical point guard, but he's been lights out all season. Adding Williams to the Cavs roster at the beginning of the season has turned them from a good team to an elite one. West can score and is a tough guy that can do a lot of good things on the floor. Plus, both guys have the ability to get into the paint and are underrated defenders. They're a bit undersized, but also completely legit.

ADV - Cavs

Frontcourt
The Magic feature the man-child that is Dwight Howard, who is capable of getting a 20-20 on just about every night. Hedo Turkoglu has proven that he can be a clutch scorer in the fourth quarter. Rashard Lewis is a matchup nightmare. At 6-10, Lewis can post up and bury three-poiners. All these guys have oodles of talent, but I still feel like Howard disappears for too long of stretches. At his size, that should never happen. And Lewis and Turkoglu are great, but they both tend to be streaky. If the threes aren't falling, they can definitely be taken out of the game.

Zydrunas Ilgauskus is frightenly effective for the Cavs. He can hit any open shot from 20-feet in and is a perfect pick-and-pop center. Anderson Varejao is the type of basketball player every coach wants. He gives heart, hustle, rebounds and energy. He tends to flop like a European soccer player, but whatever, at least he's effective. Oh, and the Cavs have that guy named LeBron. You can read gushing accounts of Bron-Bron just about everywhere on the internet, so let me just summarize by saying this. I thought King James was unstoppable last year. He somehow improved his game this season by becoming a lockdown defender, a better teammate and raising his overall basketball I.Q. I didn't think that LeBron could get much better than he was during the regular season.

Then the playoffs came around and he's been even better. I don't even think he's played his best game yet, because he hasn't had to. When he dropped his 47-12-8 masterpiece on the Hawks in Game 3, I realized that LeBron is playing in another stratosphere right now. So yeah, the Magic's frontcourt is nice, but they don't have the King.

ADV - Cavs

Bench
The Magic's bench has been a nice boost during the playoffs. Mickael Pietrus shoots well, plays solid D, and reminds me why I don't like the French everytime he does that cocky strut after he makes a shot. Courtney Lee has been a knockdown jump shooter, and is one of the few players on the Magic that can get to the rim consistenstly. Backup point gaurd Anthony Johnson actually outplayed Alston during most of the Celtics series and backup center Marcin Gorat has a little bit of game too. That's a solid rotation.

The Cavs bench is pretty good in its own right. Joe Smith is a veteran with playoff experience. Boobie Gibson and Wally Szczerbiak can both knock down open threes (and when you're playing with LeBron, that's all you really have to do), and Ben Wallace, once upon a time, was an important piece to a Championship team.

Cleveland's bench is servicable, but the Magic actually have guys coming off their bench that could start for a lot of teams in the league. And when you're a team like the Magic, that feature alot of streaky shooters, it's important to have guys to rotate in when other guy's shots aren't falling.

ADV - Magic

Perhaps the Cavs' bench would be a little more feared, if one
of their main contributors wasn't nicknamed "Boobie"

Coaching
I'll give Stan Van some credit, he made some nice adjustments in Game 6 and 7 to beat the Celtics. And anytime you can win a Game 7 on the road, a thing that only one in every five road teams are able to do, credit is due.

But it's tough to ignore that three different players this year have called out Van Gundy's coaching methods. I've also heard from some pretty credible sources in the know (yeah, that's right, I've got some "unnamed sources" of my own. How you like me now Chris Mortensen?) that say that no one on the roster takes Van Gundy seriously.

The Cav's Mike Brown has been criticized in the past for his style, but you have to give credit to him for instilling a defense-first system a few years ago, that is paying dividends now. It certainly doesn't hurt when your best players is LeBron - a team-first guy that is the best player in basketball right now. But Brown hasn't done anything wrong or stupid this season. Sometimes in the NBA, it's that simple. Just don't mess anything up. Brown's been able to quietly steer the Cavs into a position to succeed this year.

ADV - Cavs

Case for the Magic
Orlando's got arguably the best center in the league, surrounded by a bunch of dangerous 3-point shooters. There's no denying the Magic have an uphill battle, but if they can get white-hot in a couple of early games, they can make this a series. They beat Cleveland two out of three games during the regular season, including a dismantling on April 3rd, so I'm sure the Magic aren't scurred. Also, keep in mind that the Magic have been pushed in their first two series while the Cavs have been virtually untested. There's no telling how a team will change when it faces some adverse situations, especially when it hasn't had any trouble. Plus, Orlando seems to be (finally) gelling at the right time.

And hell, anything's possible right?

Case for the Cavs
The Cavs have been playing like a team on a mission for most of the second half of the regular season and for the entire playoffs so far. They play exceptionally well as a team, and genuinly like each other. They have the unquestioned best player in the NBA right now (sorry Kobe fans, but it's really not much of a debate anymore) who has been deep in the playoffs before. LeBron knows that he has to bring it every night to win a title.

Way back in November, I predicted that Lebron would go to New York when his current contract ends in 2010. Although I don't believe it's a certainty anymore, I still do believe it's going to happen. But Lebron doesn't want to leave his hometown without getting Cleveland a title. He knows this year is his best chance, and he's playing like it. For that reason alone, I don't know if any team or player will be able to stop him this season.

Prediction
Cavs in 5

***

WESTERN CONFERENCE FINALS

Denver Nuggets vs. Los Angeles Lakers

Backcourt
Chauncey Billups has been the single biggest acquisition of any team this year. He's helped turn a team that never played enough defense, rarely played together and always ended their season with a first round exit, to a team on the brink of the NBA Finals. His effect on this team can't be understated. He was a legitimate MVP candidate based on what he's done for this team. He hasn't slowed down in the playoffs, as he's been - in my opinion - the best point guard on any of the playoff teams thus far. The Nuggets shooting guard, Dahntay Jones, is a good defender and makes those ever-so-important hustle plays. With a team with as much offense as Denver, that's all he really has to give.

Kobe is one of the best players in the NBA to watch. His basketball IQ is so ridiculously high. He was born to score a basketball, and the effortlessness in which he does it is a real sight to see. That being said, for his team to win, he needs to keep his shot attempts down (somewhere around the 19-22 attempts range) and get the rest of his team involved for the Lakers to be as great as they can be. His defense is always stellar and he can simply rip the heart out of an opponent when he wants to.

The other guard spot for the Lakers hasn't been so hot. Derek Fisher has gotten old fast, as he was getting straight owned by Aaron Brooks in the Rockets series. It didn't help that on the offensive end he wasn't doing much better, as he shot just 31% from the field in the Houston series. Backup point guard Jordan Farmer might actually be a better option for the Lakers, but Phil Jackson doesn't want to stray away from a point guard he trusts. Kobe gives the Lakers the edge, but it's alot closer than you think.

ADV - Lakers

Frontcourt
Now here's an interesting matchup, as both teams have great players in the post. The Nuggets have a nice mix of great offense, defense and toughness. Nene, who had been playing better all season, has raised his game even more in the playoffs. His size makes it very dificult to defend him, and also to go against him when he's on defense. Kenyon Martin is a damn pitbull, who has an innate ability to scare the bejesus out of the guy he's covering. He had Nowitzki shook at times during the Dallas series, and he'll definitely be trying to do the same to the Lakers fancy bigs. Then there's Melo, one of the most pure scorers in this league.

Alot's been written and said (and deserverdly so) about Chauncey's effect on this team. What hasn't been covered as much is how 'Melo has sacrificed his scoring, matured, became a better teammate and took on a leadership role to help the Nuggets get to this point. There's no question that Billups has been the catalyst for the Denver's incredible play this year. But Anthony's still the best player on this team. Bron-Bron and DWade have both proven to be bonafide superstars. Anthony was supposed to be at their level, but hasn't been able to accomplish what they have yet. This is his best chance.

The Lakers featured a more talented frontcourt, when they started Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom, but coach Phil Jackson has been hell-bent on bringing Andrew Bynum back. Gasol demands a double-team every time down the floor, and he has such an array of offensive moves, that it's dizzying for most defenders. Bynum has never really looked the same since the regular season (although he did have a nice Game 7 last round) and I think he actually hinders the Lakers as they focus on trying to get him involved when they don't have to. Still, you can't teach size, and Bynum has a lot of it. If he can get back to his play earlier in the season, he can be a terror down low. Trevor Ariza has been a nice piece for L.A. this year, as he can cover the other team's best perimeter player, allowing Kobe to not have to do it and saving his energy for the offensive end. Ariza can occasionally knock down the open three as well. If Odom was still starting, I think this would be a lot closer, but I like Denver's bigs against L.A.'s with Lamar on the bench.

ADV - Nuggets

Something tells me this isn't a man that the Lakers' bigs
are too excited about seeing next round

Bench
The Nuggets have probably the best bench in the NBA. Anthony Carter is a very solid backup point guard, capable of scoring and running an offense. J.R. Smith is instant offense and is one of a handful of players that can come off the bench and score 30 points. Then there's "The Birdman" Chris Anderson. He's a crowd-pleaser that does all of the little things the Nuggets need. He doesn't score, but he doesn't have to. He's an awesome rebounder and shot-blocker and for 20 minutes a game, he can bring controlled chaos.

Now that Lamar Odom isn't starting, I guess that strengthens the Lakers bench. But I think Odom's actually more effective as a starter. Same with Jordan Farmer (that is, when he gets burn. It seems like Phil Jackson doesn't have complete confidence in the young point guard's ability). Shannon Brown, Luke Walton and Sasha Vujacic are all capable of having nice games... or really shitty ones. You never really know. And part of the reason the Lakers haven't been as good as they probably should be, is due to inconsistency from their bench.

ADV - Nuggets

Coaching
George Karl's playoff resume is a little suspect. He is the 12th winningest coach of all-time, but he also has the unfortunate distinction of being the only coach to have a 1-seeded team lose to an 8-seeded team, when his Sonics team managed this feat in 1994. He also coached the U.S National Team that got 6th in the 2002 Fiba World Championship. Oh, and he's also never won a Championship in his 21-year coaching career.

Still, he's helped morph a talented team into a Championship-caliber team, and he deserves credit for that. I'm not totally sold on him, but thus far he's proved me wrong.

The Lakers feature one of the best coaches of all time. The Zen-Master has nine titles. He's also coached some of the best players ever, in Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe. It's hard to question Phil Jackson, but I have been puzzled by some of his moves. Why put Bynum back in the starting rotation when Odom has looked much more effective as a starter? Why not start Farmer, when Fisher is clearly a shell of his former self? They seem like uncharacteristic mistakes by Jackson.

You don't pick against nine titles though. You just don't.

ADV - Lakers

Case for the Nuggets
Other than the Cavs (hell, maybe even including the Cavs), no team is playing better than Denver right now. They have it all: high-octane offense, physical defense, veteran leadership, great bench and experienced (albeit probably overrated) coaching. What also works in their favor is the way the Celtics handled the Lakers in the Finals last year. They did it by outmuscling the Lakers soft bigs, something the Nuggets should have no trouble doing. K-Mart and Nene can take Odom and Gasol out of it and Bynum just hasn't been consistent enough to be much of a threat. I don't know who they have to cover Kobe, but if they can take care of everyone else, it may force Kobe to go for 40 every night. That actually favors the Nuggets.

Chauncey should do well against either of the Lakers point guards, and he will be the calming, reassuring force that Denver needs in a series of this magnitude. And people seem to just ignore the fact that Kobe is going back to Colorado... just sayin.'

Denver can win this series. And the worst part for the Lakers is, they know they can.

Case for the Lakers
The Lakers have the most talent. When Kobe, Odom and Gasol are clicking, they may be the best big-3 in the NBA. They can score in bunches and their length disrupts most teams. They have a proven coach and a deep bench. Even though the bench has been a problem, they really only need to get production from 2 1/2 guys for the team to play well.

Then there's Kobe. Black Mamba knows that he'll soon be hitting the downside of his career. Remember that he's been in the NBA since he was 17. He's 30 now. He's running out of chances to win an NBA title.

Kobe is well aware of his place in history. If he doesn't win a title without Shaq, he'll always be remembered as the Robin to Shaq's Batman. Scottie Pippen was a helluva player, and a top-50 NBA player of all-time in his own right. But he's only remembered for being MJ's No. 2.

Kobe needs to win the title this year. I don't know if he can beat LeBron to get it, but I just can't bet against him at least getting to the Finals.

Prediction
Lakers in 7

***

So after a month of playoffs, I still think it'll be Cavs/Lakers in the Finals. It won't be the cakewalk I thought coming in, but we should still get the LeBron and Kobe battle that NBA fans are hoping for.

And since I can't come up with a clever ending, watch this highlight video of the game's two best players.

Photos Courtesy of Google Images and ESPN.com

Who Can Save Hip Hop?

2009-04-17T19:56:00.020-04:00

"Cause if you're askin' - "Why is hip hop dead?" There's a pretty good chance you're the reason it died man. There's a pretty good chance your lame ass, corny ass, is the reason it died man. You don't give a fuck about it; you don't know nothin' about it. You want this paper, be a hustler. You a hustler, you ain't a rapper... get your paper man. You know what I'm sayin? But this rap shit is real. Bitch. This shit is real bitch." - Nas, "Hope" off the 2006 album, "Hip Hop Is Dead."

If you're a Hip Hop fan, you're probably a little upset about the state that the rap world is in right now.

Now, when I say Hip Hop fan, I mean real Hip Hop fan. I'm talking about the fans that appreciate more than just the music, but the craft. I'm talking about the ones who actually listen to the lyrics, and not just bob their heads to the beats.

Don't worry if you don't fall into this category. This decade, there's alot more casual fans than diehard ones.

And because of this, what once was Hip Hop music has morphed into pop songs over club beats, loud bass and autotune. When rappers like Soulja Boy, Slim Thug and Jim Jones are making multiple, popular albums, it should tell you all you need to know about the rap game.

The popular saying now is that Hip Hop is dead. I'm not as pessimistic, but I'd say the rap game is definitely on a respirator right now. It's in need of new life, and it needs it quickly.

So I've decided to take a look at some of the major players in Hip Hop right now and see which (if any) can be the saviors to bring Hip Hop back to the promised land. This will be an ongoing investigation that I hope to finish up by the end of the summer. Each installment will examine three or four rappers, break down their pros and cons, and offer analysis of their chances of being a savior.

Keep in mind that I'll only be examining artists with legitimate influence in Hip Hop. What that means is there may be some underground rapper that you love, but no one else knows about. As good as he is, if no one knows about him, he probably won't be changing the game anytime soon.

Think of it this way. Biggie and Pac are regarded as two of the best rappers to ever live. As good of rhymers as they were, they also sold millions of albums and had a very broad reach in society. That's why they were so important to Hip Hop; they appealed to the diehards and the casual fans, and allowed fans of all walks of life to enjoy rap music.

At the same time, rappers that aren't even trying to make any semblance of effort in there lyrics will not be considered. So the Cam'rons and Rick Ross's of the world... sorry. Put together a coherent analogy and then we'll talk.

This will be a work in progress, but I think a worthwhile exercise that (hopefully) will generate some discussion.

Alright, enough explanation. Let's get this started.

***

EMINEM

"See I'm a poet to some, a regular modern day Shakespeare
Jesus Christ, the King of these Latter Day Saints here
To shatter the picture in which that as they paint me
as a monger of hate and Satan, a scatter-brained atheist
But that ain't the case, see it's a matter of taste
We as a people decide if Shady's as bad as they say he is..."
- Eminem, "Renegade" off of Jay-Z's The Blueprint (2001)

Slim Shady seems like a good person to start this discussion with. I think it's safe to say he's got the influence to be considered. There are many people out right now that think Em's the best rapper in the game right now. And, after a lengthy hiatus, Mr. Mathers has a new album dropping soon.

PROS - Lyrically he's one of the best rappers of the last decade, and you could argue one of the best ever. Looking back at his catalog, and you can see that he has some trully remarkably lyrical songs ("The Way I Am," "Stan," "Sing For the Moment," "Lose Yourself," "Like Toy Soldiers" just to name a handful). Em also has the tendency to raise his game when rapping with other greats. His verse on Dr. Dre's "Forget About Dre," was unreal. He out-rapped Jay-Z on Renegade, even prompting Nas to bring this up in "Ether" during his battle with Jay ("And, Eminem murdered you on your own shit"). Eminem seems to have a firm grasp on the fact that he's one of the best, and seems to take the pressure of that seriously.

He's also become a pretty savvy producer and businessman, learning quite well from his mentor; Dre. He certainly has all the tools to bring good Hip Hop back....

CONS - ...But does he have the passion? Eminem has been one of the most recognizable rappers for 10 years now. And as good as he is, there has been noticabely slippage. His first two albums (The Slim Shady LP, The Marshall Mathers LP) were amazing. His third one (The Eminem Show) was great. His fourth one (Encore) was good (at best) and you could see by that album that Em had figured out exactly how to make a platinum record. He still had great songs on the album, but he also included too many songs that brought little to the table ("Puke," "Big Weenie," "Just Lose It," etc.).

Slim Shady also hasn't made a full-length album since 2005. During that hiatus he suffered through some personal issues - like prescription pill abuse and the loss of his best friend (and main person that got him into the rap game), Proof. So there's legitimate concern that Eminem may not just have the drive to be the best anymore.

ANALYSIS - In my opinion, Eminem is a Top-10, and possibly Top-5 rapper of my generation. He's got the full package - ridiculous rhymes, great flow, understanding of how to make a memorable song, tons of crossover appeal, etc. But the negative reports I've heard about him the last couple of years concern me. It's been these types of problems that made Eminem into the rapper he was. Unfortunately, they may also be the obstacles that prevent him from reaching the extremely high bar that he set for himself.

I think it's very important for both Eminem and the Hip-Hop game, for his newest album, Relapse to be good. There have already been some leaked songs on the internet. I have yet to hear them (I prefer to listen once the finished product is ready), but from what I've heard, impressions have been mixed. That being said, Eminem is trying his damndest to keep these tracks under wraps until the official release date, so who knows if the songs on the internet are even legit? His first single, "We Made it," is terrible (but it's always been Em's style is to put out a catchy, pop first single). I, along with millions of other fans, will be buying his album on May 19th. Unlike others, I'll be listening to see which Eminem we'll be getting - 1999 to 2002 Em, or 2003-2008 Em. If it's the latter, Hip-Hop won't be leaving its death bed anytime soon.

50 CENT
"Momma said, everything that happened to us was part of God's plan
So at night when I talk him, I got my gun in my hand
Don't think I'm crazy, cause I don't fear man
Cause I feel when I kill a man, God won't understand"
-50 Cent, "U Not Like Me" off of 2002's Guess Who's Back?

The next candidate is Em's protege and everyone's favorite beef-starter, 50 Cent. I first heard 50 back in 2000. He recorded a song called "How to Rob" that was played on Hot 97 in New York, that talked about him robbing every relevant rapper at the time. Back then, 50's main concern was getting rich. He's managed to keep that theme for his entire decade-long career.

PROS - First and foremost, he has the public's attention. Ever since his first commercial release - 2003's Get Rich or Die Trying - 50's been a household name. For good reason, as that album was great - mixing club songs, thug songs and surprisingly witty lyricism. 50 has a knack for making the simplest lines come off as funny and sharp. Although his persona is revolves around him being a thug, he's actually a very intelligent rapper and businessman. The above lyric is from his 2002 album Guess Who's Back?, which is what started his accent to the top of the rap game. I actually had that album, and it was very good, and from then I expected big things from 50. Apparently Eminem did too, because after hearing it, he signed 50 and the rest is history.

What works in 50's favor is that his rhymes are authentic; he lived the lifestyle he's rapping about. Having sold drugs, gotten shot nine times and lived to tell about it is capitivating to fans. He's got a little 'Pac in him in that way (minus the astute lyrical talent). He also can absolutely kill a club song (hate him or love him, but you can't tell me you weren't bumping "In the Club," or "Outta Control"). He's even got some acting chops, making his marketability one of the highest in the game right now.

CONS - Let's just say he learned quite well from Mr. Shady when it comes to learning how to make hit songs and records. I mean, take a listen to "Magic Stick" and "Candy Shop." Same style and flow, and basically the same song re-packaged. And both did very well.

From a pure lyrical standpoint, 50 ain't the greatest. All the trully great MC's have always had a great deal of lyrical talent (Biggie, Nas, Rakim, 'Pac, etc.) and 50 just doesn't have it. He's also fairly one dimensional - how many times can we hear about how much bling you have, cars you drive and hos you bang? And don't get me wrong, getting shot nine times and surviving is nothing short of remarkable. But do we have to hear about it all the time. You're a tough guy. We get it. You also lived in Connecticut for a while but I notice you never seem to bring that up.

ANALYSIS - 50 always has and always will care solely about making money. Hey, there's nothing wrong with that. Like Nas said - you want this paper, be a hustler. But I don't consider 50 an MC anymore. He's an entertainer. His best talent lies in writing singles and catchy songs. If you need anymore evidence, just know that before blowing up, he was a ghostwriter for Diddy.

The problem here is fairly obvious. It's hard to save Hip Hop when your main concern is going triple-platinum. This is the same guy that started a fake fued with Kanye West, just to build hype for the release of his album (Curtis).

Curtis Jackson is a helluva businessman. Unfortunately, most businessmen could care less about real Hip Hop.

JAY-Z

Too much West coast dick-lickin, and too many niggaz on a mission
Doin your best Jay-Z rendition
Too many rough motherfuckers, I got my suspicions
that you're just a fish in a pool of sharks nigga, listen...
...I don't follow any guidelines
cause too many niggaz ride mine
so I change styles every two rhymes
-Jay-Z, "22 Two's" off of 1996's Reasonable Doubt

PROS - Talk about longevity. Jay-Z's been going strong since 1996. That's incredible, especially when you consider that he can put out an album today and it'll still go double platinum. The guy's nearly 40 and can still make quality Hip Hop music. Amazing.

Scanning his extensive catalog and there's really not many of his solo albums that I don't like (with the exceptions being The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse and Kingdom Come). Jay-Z's a good lyricist, with a great feel for songs. Such a good feel that supposedly Jay freestyles his lyrics, remembers them and goes straight in the booth to record. Now that's talent.

It goes without saying that Jay is an incredible businessman. He started Roc-A-Fella back when he released his first album (Reasonable Doubt) and made millions with the label. The various ways he's made money is extensive (and will take too much research to figure out). Let's just say that Jay has had arguably the most successful career of any rapper. Ever.

Jay "retired" a few years ago but has since made a comeback. Although Kingdom Come was a disappointment, I thought that his 2007 concept album American Gangster was extremely well done, and proves that Jay still has the ability to bring his A-game. He's the Godfather of Hip Hop right now. He demands and receives respect, which is well deserved, considering how much he's done for the rap game.

When examining his whole career, Jay-Z is one of the best rappers of all time.

CONS - Notice in the "Pros" section that I said Jay-Z was a "good lyricist." I like Jay, but it's time to take a closer examination of his career.

It can't be overstated that he got killed by Eminem on that "Renegade" song. When rapping with the best, you have to hold your own. Same thing with "Brooklyn's Finest" - a song featuring Biggie off his first album. Jay was good, but Biggie outshined him.

Then there was the much publicized beef with Nas. If you want the full background, click HERE, but I'll just give you the pertinent details. Jay-Z basically started the fued, and came out with a great diss song, "The Takeover." At that point, everyone was loving Jay since the song was so well done. Then Nas released "Ether," and in my opinion (and just about every other true Hip Hoppers opinion) annihilated Jay and won the battle, proving once and for all who the best rapper since Biggie and 'Pac's death was.

Jay-Z has had an amazing career. But it's hard to be considered the best when you can't step up with other greats. When the biggest criticism that can be levied against you is that you may not be as good as Biggie, Nas or Eminem, I think you're doing all right. But when you're being asked to save Hip Hop, it becomes a legitimate concern.

ANALYSIS - Bottomline, Jay doesn't have to save Hip Hop. The guys' weathly beyond anyone's wildest dreams. He's probably the most widely respected MC in the game. When he does decide to make albums, everyone buys them. Oh, and he's banging Beyonce. I'd say life's pretty good for Jigga.

Jay may not be able to save Hip Hop, but he definitely can use his influence to steer it in the right direction. Stop doing songs like "Swagger Like Us," and start telling the current crop of rappers to step their game up. Jay would be lying if he said he thinks Hip Hop is good right now. He was coming up in the heyday's of Biggie and Pac's careers. He also said when Biggie passed that he was the new King of New York. Well part of sitting on the throne involves giving a shit when the rap game is in disarray. I'm not sure if Jay really does.

That being said, Jay-Z is still making better albums than 90% of the rappers out right now. Who knows? Maybe a few more Jigga classics could go a long way in starting to move Hip Hop back in the right direction.

***

So that concludes our first installment of "Who Can Save Hip Hop?" I hope to continue these periodically for three reasons. 1) To really examine the rap game and its major players. 2) To see if Hip Hop is really dead and 3) If it is dead, can it be saved?

And if you hated this post, don't worry. We'll be going back to sports for the next blog post.

Photos Courtesy of Google Images

2009 NCAA Tournament Awards

2009-04-07T18:56:00.011-04:00

So that's it. March Madness is over. Your bracket burned two rounds ago and all you were hoping to see was a competitive championship game. Carolina was the Goliath, filled with NBA first round players and having just come off a Final Four run last season. And Michigan State was the perfect David, seizing the moment during the last two weeks, gelling together and playing with unmatched confidence. On top of that, they were playing in Detroit, which was pretty much a home game for them.

The hype was high and after last year's spectacular final, there was hope that last night would provide similar theatrics.

Instead, the game was over by halftime. And for the second time in five years, we had this...

As a Carolina fan, I was thrilled by the result. But if you were just a fan of basketball, last night's final, in a word; sucked.

So to make up for the lackluster final, we'll give out some Flavors of Lovelace Tournament Awards and put a final bow on the college basketball season.

***

BEST TEAM - North Carolina

Fairly easy pick here. The Tarheels were clicking on all cylinders for nearly the entire tournament and showed the talent and firepower that made them the preseason No. 1. When they really got going, there was no one on their team you could stop on the offensive end. Wayne Ellington couldn't miss. Ty Lawson was unstoppable. Tyler Hansbrough was Tyler Hansbrough and the rest of the team all did their part.

What put the team over the top though, was their commitment on the defensive end. They played with a sense of urgency, and were swarming to the ball. They finally figured out that scoring 100 points, but giving up close to 90 would catch up to them if they didn't dig in on defense. If you watched the Oklahoma game, you saw this first-hand. Blake Griffin still got his stats, but he was facing double-teams and traps every time he touched the ball. They made him uncomfortable, which is all you could do when you're facing a future NBA All-Star.

Whether you like North Carolina or not, if you're a basketball fan you have to appreciate just how good this team was. You just do.

BEST COACH - Tom Izzo

I admit, I didn't see Michigan State coming. I saw a team that was good, but was very beatable, and I thought that they just didn't have the talent to beat the top-tier teams.

And looking at the team, I still don't think they had the talent. But what I forgot to consider was just how good a coach Tom Izzo was. He made up for the team's shortcomings by getting his team to play efficiently, controlling the pace and getting them to run when they had openings. They played great team defense and believed that they were a Championship-caliber team.

In the three games before the final, Sparty knocked off the defending champion (Kansas), the No. 1 seed in the tournament (Louisville) and the most dominant team in the tournament going into the Final Four (UConn).

You don't get lucky three times. Credit goes to Izzo.

Feel free to brush your shoulders off, Tommy.
You earned it with this year's Tournament run.

BEST PLAYER - Ty Lawson

An injury about a big toe was the dominant story of the first two rounds. That's how important Ty Lawson was to a Carolina team stocked with talent.

And when he came back, he showed why he was so important. Lawson was the best player on the floor every time he was out there. His ability of being able to play 100 miles-per-hour, while still being able to stay completely in control made him absolutely deadly in the open floor. It got to a point where every time he rose up for a three, you expected it to go in. Every time he drove the floor and drew contact for a foul, you expected him to make the lay-up for a three-point play. Plus he didn't make many mistakes, posting a nearly 5 to 1 assist to turnover ratio in the tournament.

Ellington and Green were great in this tournament. If you think that's not a direct correlation to Lawson's play, than you're not watching the same game I am. Hansbrough will be higher regarded in Carolina lore, but Lawson's the reason this team won the title.

BEST OVERACHIEVER - Villanova

In a chalk-filled tourney, 'Nova provided us our best glimpse of a true Cinderella. They were scrappy. They played with heart. And most importantly, they played smart. Scotty Reynolds didn't shoot the ball that well, but the guy's a gamer and Dante Cunningham, at times, looked like a star.

I think what was most impressive by the Wildcats is how physical they played. Their tallest guy was 6'8", but they were deceptively hard to score on in the post. It wasn't the 1985 team, but this 'Nova team was still plenty impressive.

Dante Cunningham, Scotty Reynolds and Co. made this
a season to remember for the Wildcats

MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM - Memphis

Memphis started out the tournament by terrifying the entire nation in their first-round, near defeat to Cal State Northridge. At the time, that game looked like just a minor scare. In hindsight, that game told the whole story.

Not playing anyone during the season caught up with the Tigers this year. I'm not saying that as an indictment on the team or their scheduling; they played who they had to play. The problem is, they weren't truly tested enough, and when they faced some adversity in the tournament, they didn't respond well.

Sure, they destroyed a Maryland team with far inferior talent, but they looked completely outmatched against Mizzou. Memphis was a favorite to make the Final Four, and a darkhorse to win it all. Instead, they bowed out in the Sweet 16. For a team with such talent and lofty expectations, that's a failure of a season.

BEST SURPRISE PLAYER - Cole Aldrich

Maybe Cole's play shouldn't have been much of a surprise. I mean, the guy averaged a 15 and 11 during the season and was the second best player on Kansas all year.

But Aldrich was a beast in the tournament. Check out his stat line: 17.7 points, 15.7 boards, 5.3 blocks. That's putting in serious work. And in the words of the infamous Ice Cube, Cole even "fucked around and got a triple double," dropping a 13-point, 20-rebound and 10-block performance against Dayton in the second round.

He seemed to get better every game he played in the tourney, and if he and Sherron Collins return, Kansas should be right in the mix for a National Championship next year.

Nothing against Cole, but I figured you rather see
these Kansas cheerleaders. You're welcome.

MOST DISAPPOINTING PLAYER - James Harden

I don't know if you knew this, but apparently James Harden is a legit high lottery pick. No, seriously.

You'd never have guessed after watching him in the tournament. He averaged 20 points, five boards and four assists during the season - in the soft Pac-10 - and then i have no idea what the hell happened to his game. He scoring dropped dramatically, as he scored 10, nine and 10 in his three tournament games. He couldn't throw the ball in the ocean either, shooting a stellar 19% from the field.

Is that what you want for from a guy you're taking with a Top-5 pick? Didn't think so.

MOST EXCITING TEAM - Missouri

Missouri's style of play was thoroughly entertaining and head coach Mike Anderson deserves most of the credit here. A disciple of Nolan Richardson, Anderson had his players play a frenetic press-defense that led to more turnovers, more Tiger possessions and more easy points.

And since I don't know what else to say about Mizzou, just enjoy these highlights of their Elite 8 run.

"THE MELO AWARD" - Tyreke Evans

Named after Carmelo Anthony, who was awesome as a freshman and raised his game in the tournament, taking Syracuse to the National Championship. So why am I picking Evans, who clearly didn't lift Memphis (who, coincidentally, was the most disappointing team)?

Because Evans was the only Tiger player who showed up, that's why. It's pretty impressive when a 6'6" freshman, that's built like a prototypical shooting guard, can move over to the 1-spot and run point for a team that won 27 straight games.

In the Mizzou disaster, he was still great, dropping 33 points. The kid can fill it up with ease, and he has such great control over his body. He doesn't really blow by you, but always knows exactly how to maneuver around his defender to score. He'll be a great NBA player.

"MEA CULPA AWARD" - (tie) Danny Green and Michigan State

"It takes a big man to admit his mistakes, and I am that big man." - Michael Scott

Even here at Flavors of Lovelace, we make mistakes. I owe apologies to both Danny Green and Michigan State. Let's start with Green. In my Sweet 16 Power Poll, I wrote:

"North Carolina tends to go through long stretches where all they want to do is score, score, score. The best example of this is Danny Green. Last year he came off the bench and provided energy, scoring punch and rock-solid, perimeter defense. Now? I can't tell you how many times I see him play lazy on defense, then jack up a bad three-point shot in transition on the other end."

Well all Danny Green did in Carolina's run to the Championship is morph into the most versatile player on the Carolina roster. He made threes in transition, made smart decisions and was a force on the glass. What was even more important is that he started to commit on the defensive end again. He did all the little things that a Championship team needs. My bad Danny.

This is what I wrote about Sparty in that same post:

"But it's hard for me to take a team seriously that nearly lost to Penn State the first time they played, then got beat by the Nittany Lions at home. I've seen first-hand that Sparty can go down. I don't think they can get enough scoring if they get caught in a high-scoring affair..."

I thought they couldn't win in a high-scoring game, and at first, maybe they couldn't. But instead of trying to outscore opponents, they controlled the pace and forced teams to play their game. They completely owned Louisville, holding them to just 52 points. Then, they showed that when forced to score, they can, dropping 82 on a UConn team that almost everyone had penciled into the final. So yeah, sorry Michigan State.

Pop that jersey Danny. You earned it.

BEST PLAY

This tournament, for the most part, was pretty uneventful. But one play easily stands out as the sickest of the tournament; if not the year.

So enjoy your last bit of college basketball. You may not admit it now, but when it's July and baseball is the only sport on, you're damn sure going to miss it.

Photos Courtesy of Sports Illustrated's John Biever and Google Images

The Sweet 16 Power Poll

2009-03-24T20:17:00.016-04:00

We watch nearly four months of college basketball. We pick apart the mid-majors, pay attention to conference tournament winners and carefully choose our super, secret sleepers. We pick and prod our brackets when we should be working, thinking we have the tournament all figured out. We submit our brackets confidently, and anxiously await collecting a big score after winning our office pools.

And after four days of basketball, what do we have?

Chalk. God damn chalk.

After the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament, all the one seeds are left. All the two seeds are left. All the three seeds are left. Two fours and a five are left. And the highest seed left, twelve-seed Arizona, isn't exactly your small-school Cinderella.

Last year all the No. 1 seeds made the Final Four, but that was supposed to be an aberration, not the norm. But this year proved again that the good teams are the ones advancing, while the major upsets are getting fewer and farther in between.

Is this a good thing? It's tough to say. It's great seeing the best teams compete, but its fun rooting for the underdog to make a run.

But let's focus on the positives. With all the good teams advancing, this weekend's games should be memorable, well-played and exciting.

So let's break out a power poll, separated by tiers, based on how the team's are playing. Keep in mind that this isn't necessarily ranked by how good I think the teams are, or where I think they'll finish, but is more just a ranking of how they're currently playing. (Similar to the NFL Power Poll I did last year). Afterwards, I'll give my predictions for the rest of the tourney.

Without further ado...

***

THANKS FOR PLAYING, BUT YOUR RUN WILL BE ENDING SHORTLY

16) Arizona
I hate the Wildcats. They shouldn't have gotten in, then they band together and win two rounds. Now people are lauding their run, even though they feature two potential NBA first round picks and beat Cleveland State in the second round to get this far. And we're supposed to be impressed?

I think the Wildcats run ends against Louisville next round. But if someone steps on Chase Budinger's face during the game, all bets are off.

15) Gonzaga
The 'Zags were a darkhorse pick to make a deep run before the tournament started, with people (including myself) thinking they could upset North Carolina next round. They have the talent and the horses to do so, but based on what I've seen in their first two games, I'm not seeing it. They get contributions from a variety of places and can really hurt you on the offensive end. Because of that, they actually could pose a tough matchup for the Tarheels (since North Carolina's Achilles Heel all year has been its defense).

But I don't see how Gonzaga deals with Carolina's scorers. The 'Zags almost blew their last game against Western Kentucky, needing a Demetri Goodson layup with a second left (where the Hilltoppers inexplicably decided not to play any defense) to survive. Orlando Valdez-Mendez made the 'Zags D look like a JV squad. That can't happen against North Carolina.

14) Xavier
Xavier limped into the tournament, losing four of their last eight regular season games, but got lucky to get a good draw. They easily thwarted Portland State before getting Wisconsin in the second round. Had they played Florida State in the second round instead, Xavier may not have even gotten this far, but Wisconsin just didn't have enough firepower to pose much of a problem.

Xavier has experience going deep, making two elite eights in the last five years, and are led by upperclassmen in B.J. Raymond, Derrick Brown and C.J. Anderson (although I'm not crazy about the idea of two of your senior leaders having initial first names. You really want to go to war with B.J. and C.J? Yeah, didn't think so).

I don't think Xavier's got the talent to play with the big dogs though and sweet 16's as far as they get.

C.J. making it look easy. It won't be so easy with
Pitt's Dejuan Blair's dense frame patrolling the paint

PROBABLY WON'T WIN IT, BUT CAN DEFINITELY DERAIL ANOTHER TEAM'S TITLE CHANCES

13) Purdue
The Boilermakers were a sleeper in the beginning of the year to make a Final Four run, and now they're in the position to do so. They gelled at the perfect time, including winning the Big Ten Tournament, and their win over Pac-10 regular season champion Washington in the second round was impressive.

Their next game against UConn could prove interesting. The Huskies haven't had a tough game yet and Purdue's a complete team. What sticks out about Purdue is how smart they play. They rarely rush shots, run their offense and always get good looks. That's a rare talent to have in college basketball, and if the Huskies don't bring their A-game, they could be in for a long night.

I think the key might be sophomore center JaJuan Johnson's play. Against Washington, he was great on the offensive end, but was getting absolutely worked on the defensive end against Jon Brockman (Brockman was something like 7-of-7 on field goal attempts in the second half). If he lets UConn's Hasheem Thabeet go off for that type of production, Purdue won't pose much of a threat.

12) Missouri
The Tigers would probably be much higher had they not barely survived against Marquette on Sunday. You can't blow a 16-point lead against a team that hasn't looked the same since Dominic James's injury. And I know James came back against Missouri, but I don't think a 17-minute, zero-point performance made much of a difference.

Mizzou's uptempo style should make for a very exciting game against Memphis. They can turn the game into a track meet, and the Tigers certainly can score with any team in the country. If they can play the way they've played in the first three halves of the tournament, they can advance. If they play like their last half against Marquette, it won't be close.

11) Kansas
I have to (begrudingly) give Bill Self credit. I've made fun of his coaching deficiencies and tendency to bow out of tournaments early, prior to last season's championship run. Since last season's championship though, Self has shown he can coach, and what he did with this year's team - which lost 7 of its top 9 scorers from last year - is nothing short of astounding. Kansas has looked great in its first two games, surviving a 37-point scoring barrage from North Dakota State's Ben Woodside and easily dismantling Dayton. At the same time, those two teams aren't exactly title contenders.

Their next game against Michigan State is a toss-up. Sherron Collins is a beast and Cole Aldrich seems to get better every game. If the Jayhawks can get those guys just a little help, Self may get Kansas to its third elite eight in five years.

10) Duke
How bad did you want to see Texas pull out that victory over the Blue Devils? I was at a bar watching the game and everyone was rooting for Duke to lose. I hate Duke, and there's probably no way I can write about them objectively, but here goes...

Gerald Henderson at times is unstoppable on the basketball court, even though he's a cheap-shotting bitch. The last couple of seasons, Duke has been a team that kills you from the three-point line. Playing against them used to be simple; if they went cold from the arc, you could beat them. But Henderson gives them someone that can get to the rim whenever he wants and force the defense to adjust to him. That leaves these ugly, doofuses open for treys. Add in the fact that the Dukies are incredibly disruptive on the defensive end and that gives them a shot to get to the Final Four.

What hurts them is they've never really solved their inside problems (Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas aren't scaring anybody). Scheyer's played well at point guard, but I think he can make mistakes if pressured. Those weaknesses, in my mind, will ultimately do the Blue Devils in and hurt their chances of advancing much further.

9) Michigan State
Sparty had a bit of a scare from USC last round, but I give them credit for vanquishing a hot Trojans team. What helps Michigan State is that they've been banged up all year and have finally got their team healthy. What hurts them is that although they're talented, I don't know if it's enough to win it all.

Coach Izzo is great and Michigan State has been consistently good all year. But it's hard for me to take a team seriously that nearly lost to Penn State the first time they played, then got beat by the Nittany Lions at home. I've seen first-hand that Sparty can go down. I don't think they can get enough scoring if they get caught in a high-scoring affair (their tournament scoring leaders are Kalin Lucas and Draymond Green, who both are averaging just 11.5 points per game thus far). Sparty might advance another round, but will probably bow out after that.

Sherron Collins and Co. may be able to keep the
Jayhawks dancing in the Tournament

DANGEROUS, BUT PROBABLY DON'T HAVE ENOUGH

8) Villanova
Nova had a pretty embarrassing scare against American in their first game. I mean, they were playing in Philly, their hometown, for God sake. Some small D.C. school should not be forcing you to play your starters well into the last few minutes of the contest.

But the Wildcats bounced back big against UCLA, making the Bruins - who made the Final Four the last three years - look silly. Nova's tested from playing in the Big East, have one of the best coaches in the business in Jay Wright and have great perimeter play. Scottie Reynolds is a gamer and senior forward Dante Cunningham can do work inside. The Wildcats occasionally go in spurts where they struggle to score, but are a complete team and have already beat the top seat in the region. They may be the favorite to win the East bracket.

7) Oklahoma
The Sooners have a chance to win it all for three reasons. 1) Blake Griffin. 2) Team Spirit. 3) Blake Griffin.

Griffin's looked like a man among boys in the first two rounds and is no question the best NBA prospect in college basketball right now. The Sooners can go as far as Griffin takes them.

The problem is Oklahoma's supporting cast. Willie Warren's legit, but no one else on Oklahoma scares me. If you throw double and triple teams at Griffin and watch Warren, I think you can beat Oklahoma. Michigan gave them a scare, and I think Syracuse's suffocating 2-3 zone could blanket Griffin enough to make him, at the very least, human. I also think you can get physical with Griffin a bit to get him a little off his game. If the Orange bang on him early, I think they'll disrupt the Sooners offense enough to advance.

But if Griffin explodes for a 30 and 15 next game, pretend you didn't read this.

6) Pittsburgh
What a difference a weekend makes. Before the tournament started, Pitt was a trendy pick to win the whole thing. After two too-close-for-comfort games against inferior opponents, most don't think the Panthers survive this weekend.

If Pitt plays the way they did in the first two rounds, they won't. Blair always bring his A-game, but Pitt isn't particularly big down-low (Tyrell Biggs is their tallest contributor at 6'8"). Sam Young needs to continue to play great and Pitt's key will be the play of Levance Fields. He's smart, has great vision and can knock down outside shots, but he's susceptible to getting beat by quicker point guards. I still think Pitt's got a puncher's chance for the title, but there are too many variables against them. Not to mention that if an opposing team's big man can get Blair in foul trouble (see 'Nova's Dante Cunningham) then there's no way Pitt even has a chance of winning (they're 0-4 when Blair fouls out of the game).

In the Jamie Dixon era, the Panthers have never been further than the Sweet 16. I think they get a round further this time around, but the Panthers run may end there.

5) Syracuse
The 'Cuse looked great in the Big East tournament and went from "sleeper" to "team everyone says is a sleeper, making them now a favorite." The Orange have delivered in their first two games though, and look to be the real deal.

I love Johnny Flynn's game, and having a great point guard is one of the greatest attributes you can have in the NCAA tournament. The Syracuse's 2-3 zone is frustrating for most offenses to prepare for and Eric Devendorf, when not slugging coeds, provides great outside shooting. Their bigs are playing better and they've got one of the best coaches in the tournament in Jim Boeheim. No one wants to play the 'Cuse right now.

The last time Syracuse was a No. 3, they won the whole thing. I don't think they'll get that far this year, but they've got a great shot at the Final Four.

One of the most important things an NCAA tournament team can
have is a great point guard. Johnny Flynn certainly fits the bill.

LEGIT CHAMPIONSHIP CONTENDERS

4) Memphis
Memphis provided our first top-team scare of the tournament, and it took them a solid 35 minutes to realize they were supposed to win. It was a cause for concern, but their thrashing of Maryland shows exactly what this team is capable of.

The Tigers have athletes at every position on the floor. They can lock up on D (allowing just a 37% opponent field goal percentage per game during the regular season). John Calipari is a proven coach, who may have made the best (and most obvious?) coaching move of the year, when he moved freshmen phenom Tyreke Evans to the point. The Tigers are hungry, after losing the championship last year, and Calipari has been using the "No One Respects Us" rallying cry all year.

They'll have their hands full against Missouri and the winner of UConn/Purdue will be a tough game as well. But this team has confidence. Winning 27 straight D-1 games will do that.

Everyone points to the fact that Memphis plays in a weak conference. But every year they go deep in the tournament. The Tigers are built for March and April and this particular team is plenty dangerous. If things fall right, they can win the title.

3) Louisville
Louisville would probably be higher, if Siena hadn't given them such a scare last round. Still, the Cardinals have talent. Forward Earl Clark is a very nice player and, when focused, Terrence Williams is capable of taking over games with his versatility. Louisville's been arguably the most consistent of the big-conference teams all year, and as the No 1 seed, face the easiest road to the Final Four. Once they get there, anything's possible.

Louisville also can lock up on D (sensing a theme here?) and have one of the best coaches in the business in Rick Pitino (who rocks some of the best suits in college basketball). My concern with Louisville is I still don't know how they tussle with the best of teams. They won the Big East regular season and conference crowns, but those accomplishments are deceiving. Both Pitt and UConn lost early in the tournament, so the Cardinals didn't have to play either team. Louisville only played each of those teams once during the regular season, beating Pitt by six, and getting routed by UConn by 17. This is also the same team that got embarrased by Notre Dame - whose playing in the NIT right now - by 33 points (though, to be fair, Louisville has won 12 straight since that defeat).

I think the Cardinals have a great chance to win the whole thing. But that doesn't mean I'm totally confident in them. I feel like Louisville is a great team, but not an elite team. Is that enough to win the title? Yes.

Will it win the title this year? The jury's still out.

2) North Carolina
The Tarheels have the most talent of any of the teams in the tournament. LSU gave North Carolina all they could handle in the second round, but when you have as many options as UNC, a close game can turn into a double digit lead in a hurry.

You already know who the X-factor is for North Carolina. Ty Lawson was incredible in the LSU game. All we've heard about is his toe, but in the regular season finale against Duke and his last game against the Tigers, he was the best player on the court. In the second half, did he look anything less than 100% to you?

Wayne Ellington has also really raised his game, averaging 24 points per in the tournament and doing everything you want from your shooting guard (draining threes, driving the lane and making smart decisions). Hansborough is Hansborough and Roy Williams has proven he can win a championship with talented players (winning in 2004-05).

What will ultimately decide if Carolina can go all the way is if they commit to the defensive end. What was surprising about their second round game wasn't that LSU was staying close; but why they were. They were getting open and uncontested shots. North Carolina tends to go through long stretches where all they want to do is score, score, score. The best example of this is Danny Green. Last year he came off the bench and provided energy, scoring punch and rock-solid, perimeter defense. Now? I can't tell you how many times I see him play lazy on defense, then jack up a bad three-point shot in transition on the other end.

If Lawson's healthy and UNC plays some defense, they'll win the whole thing. If they don't, they'll lose. They won't be able to win it all on talent alone. Final Fours are nice, but for a team that brought back basically the entire Final Four team from last year, anything less than a championship has to be considered a disappointment.

1) UConn
The Huskies have unquestionably looked like the best team in the tournament so far. They've run their first two opponents out of the gym, and are again looking like the team that was plugged as the favorite to win it all back in December and January.

I'm still worried about Jerome Dyson being out for the rest of the season though. It ain't easy replacing a junior guard who plays great perimeter defense. But thus far, UConn has't appeared to lose a step.

A big reason has been the play of A.J. Price. He's been lights-out in the first two games and is straight torching teams who dare give him a little bit of space. His shooting has been dead on and he can get to the basket at will. Add in the fact that he's completely made people forget about that whole stealing laptops thing a couple years ago, and I'd say A.J. is having himself quite a year.

I think UConn's biggest concern is the fact that they haven't played a close game yet. Blowouts are great, but every other team has been able to respond to a little adversity, against teams that they know they should beat. What happens when the Huskies face that adversity against a team they can lose to? I think Purdue will give UConn a game, and if they advance past them, the winner of Missouri/Memphis could really give UConn trouble.

The recent recruiting scandal news comes at the worst possible time, and can only add as a distraction. And it can't be comforting that Hasheem Thabeet was almost a non-factor last game. I know they blew out Texas A&M, but when your 7' 3" center shoots two shots and picks up four fouls in just 20 minutes, you can't be happy.

UConn is clearly the best team playing right now. But like every other team in the tournament, they're flawed. If they can stay hot, their a championship team, no question. But it'll be interesting to see what happens when they get in a close game that's going back-and-forth in the last two minutes. How will they respond?

A.J. Price is great, but UConn's only going as far
as Thabeet can take them

Alright, enough information and speculation; let's get to the picks.

SWEET 16
(1) Louisville over (12) Arizona
(2) Michigan State over (3) Kansas
(1) UConn over (5) Purdue
(2) Memphis over (3) Missouri
(1) Pitt over (4) Xavier
(3) Villanova over (2) Duke
(1) UNC over (4) Gonzaga
(3) Syracuse over (2) Oklahoma

ELITE 8
(1) Louisville over (2) Michigan State
(2) Memphis over (1) UConn
(3) Villanova over (1) Pitt
(1) North Carolina over (3) Syracuse

FINAL FOUR
(1) Louisville over (2) Memphis
(1) North Carolina over (3) Villanova

CHAMPIONSHIP
North Carolina 76, Louisville 67

Photos Courtesy of Sports Illustrated's Kohjiro Kinno, David E. Klutho, John Biever, Bill Frakes

I Love March Madness

2009-03-11T19:24:00.017-04:00

There's a lot to love about March. The seasons change, with Spring bringing warm weather throughout the country. Various cities celebrate St. Patrick's Day with a parade.

But easily the best thing about the month is March Madness.

Aside from the 'Cuse jersey, this girl has nothing to do
with college basketball. But do you really care?

In December, I had alot of problems with college football and dedicated an entire blogpost to it. College basketball, and specifically March Madness, is much different. I love just about everything about it.

So lets dissect just exactly what makes March Madness so great.

***

It Brings Out the Degenerate Gambler in us All
As a diehard basketball fan, I'd love watching the game no matter what. But what draws the casual fan to college basketball isn't the memorable shots, passionate players or frenetic gameplay.

It's participating in brackets.

And lots of brackets. Typically I try to get into three or four and I'm sure there are many others out there that participate in even more. The Office Pool has become an annual tradition. There's nothing better than diligently spending hours filling out various brackets in hopes of winning and cashing in on a big score. It's mostly luck, but when one of our upsets pan out, we're the first ones to brag about it. We agonize over which darkhorse will go deep in the tournament and whine when our Final Four team gets knocked out in the second round. There's no other sport that causes so much exciting discussion between casual acquaintances. Which brings us to another great thing about March Madness...

Yeah Boss, I'll get to that Project in a Second. Let me Just Check How Morehead State's Doing....
March Madness creates an utter lack of productivity in offices nationwide. When we're not scrolling ESPN, Yahoo, CBS Sportsline and every other basketball site for sleepers and upset picks, we're discussing with co-workers which team we think can make a run. We fill out brackets and edit them when we're supposed to be working. While the games are going on, we're constantly checking scores, getting updates and occasionally streaming live games. If your office is lucky (or stupid) enough to show games on the office TV, overall work goes down even more.

When national publications go so far as to write articles about the lack of production, you can tell that March Madness has quite the negative effect in the workplace.

So What You Sucked During the Season? You Still Got a Shot.

Unlike college football, where once you lose a game you're usually officially out of the National Championship race, in college basketball, every team gets a shot at redemption via the end-of-year conference tournament. This gives every team a chance to make the Dance, regardless of how they played all year. Just look at Georgia last year. The "Dream Dawgs" won just 13 games last season, but went on a miracle run in the SEC tournament, won the tournament title and earned an invite to the NCAA tournament. This proves that no matter how poor your team did during the regular season, they're not dead until they lose in the conference tourney.

Conference tournaments have also provided some of the all-time great college basketball moments. I can still remember Syracuse's memorable run through the Big East Tournament in 2006. Gerry McNamara lit Madison Square Garden on fire and cemented his legacy, by making winner after game-winner and dragging an underachieving 'Cuse team to the Dance....

(McNamara's highlights are at the 1:33 mark)

How 'bout Them Nittany Lions?
If you're not a Penn State fan, I advise you to just skip this one and move on. You're not going to like it. You'll think I'm a homer (I am), and question my journalistic integrity for writing about a team with no basketball history, that hasn't made the tournament since 2001 and has only made the Dance three times since 1965. I implore you non-Penn State fan... don't read this.

OK, now that that's out of the way... have you seen Penn State basketball this year? In case you haven't, let me summarize. The team has won 21 games and 10 in the Big Ten. They hold wins over the top three teams in the league - Michigan State, Illinois and Purdue. They beat the Spartans on the road and swept Illinois this year.

Unfortunately, their out of conference schedule is downright embarrasing. It's being predicted that the Lions will need one or two wins in the Big Ten tournament to get an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament.

Truth be told, I've been a North Carolina fan since I was a kid, but I've loosely cared about the Nittany Lion basketball program since I enrolled to Happy Valley. My freshman year I went to the first game of the season. We were playing Georgetown and I had near-courtside seats (they were extremely easy to get good seats back then). We were up a point with 2.1 seconds to go and it looked like we would pull off an unbelievable upset. The Hoyas inbounded the ball and one of the Penn State players tried to intercept it. He ended up fouling a Georgetown player, who went to the line, sank two free throws and gave the Hoyas a one-point win. Needless to say, I never went to a Penn State game again.

Let's just say it's nice to finally be able to root for Penn State in basketball.

This is Talor Battle. Sophomore point guard, First-team All Big Ten Selection
and responsible for making Penn State basketball semi-relevant this year

Selection Sunday
With all the excitement that comes from following conference tournaments, bubble teams and top teams jockeying for tournament seeds, Selection Sunday is the culmination of it all. For true hoop heads (and those that want to get an early jump on their brackets), this night is when we get first looks at the bracket and immediately start picking potential upset teams and argue over which bracket is the hardest and easiest. Is it sad that I look forward to watching a bunch of old guys reveal which teams go on each bracket line?

Nah, didn't think so.

The Concept of Basketball All Day is Quite Appealing to me
One of the best things about March Madness is that the games leading up to the Final Four are played all day. The first two rounds feature games from Thursday-Sunday, with tons of action to keep fans of every team interested. On Thursday and Friday, most fans will have to work, but that doesn't mean they won't be glued to their computer screens checking for updates (unless you were cagey enough to get off that day. It's a tough sell these days with bosses wising up, but I encourage you to still try).

What's great are the Saturday and Sunday games. Sounds like another excuse to get hammered to me! Camp out at a bar and drown your sorrows after the No. 12 seed you had making a run to the Elite Eight gets hammered by 20 in the first round. And you can take solace in the fact that if the game you're watching doesn't go how you hoped, there are about four more coming on in a half-hour. Anything that allows you to binge drink for hours while watching athletic competition is a winner in my book.

This man was very pleased with Western Kentucky's
run to the Sweet Sixteen last year

Cindarella Slippers. That is if Cindarella Had a Size 16 Shoe.
Everyone loves an underdog, and March Madness is infamous for producing some of the best Cinderella stories every year. We see double-digit seeds upset powerhouses, tiny schools in the middle of nowhere making runs to the Elite Eight and players that most people haven't heard of it become national celebrities.

One of the best examples of this was George Mason's run in 2006. Coming into the tournament as an 11-seed, the Patriots used an experienced team made up of mostly hometown kids to topple heavyweights like my Tarheels and tournament-favorite UConn, making it all the way to the Final Four.

Another, more historic example is the 1985 Villanova team. Ranked eighth, the Wildcats made it all the way to the Championship, and toppled the heavily-favored, Patrick Ewing-led and reigning champion Georgetown Hoyas for one of the greatest tournament performances ever.

And who could forget last year's Davidson team, featuring Stephen Curry? Davidson probably won't make the tournament this year (and they shouldn't), but last year the 10th-seeded Wildcats made a run to the Elite Eight before falling by a basket to eventual-champion Kansas. During the tournament, Stephen Curry was electric. He made big shots look effortless, endeared himself to the nation and made the name Stephen (also spelled Stefen) the most popular name for newborn baby boys in the year 2009 (alright, I have no proof of that last fact. But in 15 years, when you see every boy athlete named Stefen, remember I gave you the heads up).

Which team and player will take the nation by storm this year? It's hard to say, but you can bet that it'll be fun trying to figure it out.

And since we probably won't see Curry in this year's tournament, let's finish this with a look at some of his greatest highlights....

Why America Doesn't Care About Soccer

2009-02-26T17:26:00.011-05:00

My love for soccer started in the summer of 2006. I played in high school and loosely followed it when I got to college, but I became a true fan when I worked in London that summer.

My time in England also coincided with the 2006 World Cup, and that's what hooked me. England's love for the game sucked me in and some of my best memories of that summer were pounding beers with overly high alcohol content and yelling till I grew hoarse for the English National Team.

In England, all the games were on in the early and late afternoon, meaning we could often watch a game as soon as we got back from work. Although there was a five-hour difference, the schedule was still favorable for Americans watching at home, and the ratings were generally good for that year's Cup. It was clear that soccer would never reach the popularity of football, basketball or baseball in the States, but many thought that the '06 Cup would make more Americans take interest in the world's game.

It didn't happen. Soccer has still never came close to the popularity it reaches abroad and the average American fan doesn't know much about the professional game.

But why? Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. I know the NFL wants you to believe that football is, even going so far as to say that the winner of the Super Bowl is the "world champion," (how does one become the world champion without playing any international competition exactly?) but like it or not, soccer is the world's game. Players like Cristiano Ronaldo and Ronaldinho are much more popular worldwide than Peyton Manning or LaDainian Tomlinson will ever be.

So let's examine just why soccer hasn't caught on here.

Meet Ronaldo, one of (if not the) best soccer players in the world.
I've never been much of a fan of the pretty boy, but I will say he
knows how to throw one helluva party.

We Kinda Suck at it
Lets just start with the most obvious reason why Americans don't care about soccer. We're not very good.

Don't get me wrong, we're getting much better. Our national team has looked fairly impressive so far in World Cup qualifying, and more children are playing soccer in the US than ever before.

But all the best soccer is being played oversees. Top leagues like the Premier League in England, Serie A in Italy and Spain's Primera Division are where you'll see the world's top players. The American equivalent to those leagues is Major League Soccer (MLS). To compare, if the Premier League was the NFL, the MLS would be the hungover rec games you and your out-of-shape friends get together on Sundays.

But there is hope. Some of our best players are playing internationally to better their games and get valuable experience for the 2010 World Cup. Our most notable players, Landon Donovan (forward), DeMarcus Beasley (winger) and Tim Howard (goalie) all currently play abroad, leaving open the possibility of the Americans making some noise in next year's Cup.

We'll need Donovan (left) and Beasley to step up if we
hope to play well in the 2010 World Cup

How Many Leagues Do They Play in Again?
Following soccer is a full-time commitment. Teams' regular seasons are played in their leagues, and generally last from August to May. The regular season is 38 games (most of the top leagues have 20 teams, and play a home and an away with each team in the league).

Throughout that time, the best teams also play in the UEFA Champions League. This league is strictly for Europe's top teams, and starts in July with qualifying. Games are played throughout the year until the championship in May. Let me just say this: if you don't like soccer, watch some of the Champions League. If you don't like what you see, you'll simply never like the sport.

There's also the UEFA Cup, which is similar to the Champions League, but slightly less prestigious. Players also periodically leave their teams to play for their National Teams, so those teams can qualify for the World Cup. There's also the European Championship, named "Euro" and whatever year it's being played in (i.e. Euro 2008), which is played every four years (and two years after every World Cup). It features 16 European National Teams competing for the title of Champion of Europe. Teams have to play in qualifiers to make that tournament as well.

As you can see, there's a lot to keep up with (and I'm sure there's more. Those are just the ones I'm familiar with). Then factor in that soccer games are usually two to three hours to watch. This is a country that coined the term "fast food" because we're too lazy to wait for a well-prepared meal, and rather wait three minutes or less to inhale cheap, greasy, fatty, deep-fried garbage. Do you really think we have the attention span to follow a sport that goes all year? Me neither.

You Say Tomato, I say Tomahto. You Know What? Screw it, I'll say Tomato Too.
Lets just admit it. We stole the name football. The real futbol is the sport that, you know, is actually played with your feet. A more accurate name for our sport should be "throwball" or "tackleball." Problem is, those names kind of suck.

So we took aspects of European rugby and futbol, and named our sport football too. Wait, there's a different sport already called that? So what? We're Americans dammit; we'll do as we please.

After working abroad, I can tell you that Europeans, and particularly British people, aren't too fond of us stealing the name of their game, and arrogantly proclaiming that it's the best sport in the world. In turn, Americans feel that our football is clearly superior to their futbol and secretly enjoy the fact that we have a different name for the sport than everyone else in the world. What's funny is that as mad as Brits get about us calling the sport soccer, the word supposedly was coined by an England national team captain in the 1880s.

So yeah, we steal stuff, but at least we steal from credible sources.

This fine sir coined the phrase "soccer." Anyone with a
'stasche as good as that is fine in my book.

You Thought Madden Was Bad? Just Wait Till you Hear these Guys.
One of the best parts of watching the World Cup in England was getting all British (and occasional Scottish) analysts and commentators. They're incredibly knowledgeable, can explain complex parts of the game in simple terms and are passionate about the game. When they talk about soccer, it feels like every game is a big game. They also are great at manipulating the English language to describe action on the field; doing so better than commentators for any other sport (i.e. "That was a masterful intervention by Steven Gerrard" to describe a stolen pass).

America has started to wise up, even hiring Andy Gray as an analyst for Euro 2008, but it needs to go further. Lose American talking heads all together. Even if they know what they're talking about, it just sounds like they don't. What's worse is that they often compare things going on on the soccer pitch to more popular American sports, like baseball and football, for the average (read: stupid) American fan.

ESPN should just cut a check to the Sky Sports and BBC in England and let us watch the analysis from the British commentators. Dumbing the sport down with the cliche-filled drivel that we hear from our analysts can easily drive most fans away.

Games End in Ties. Like Alot.
There's nothing we like better as Americans than clear-cut winners and losers. We like to see one person or team show they're dominant, with the other team looking like pathetic failures.

In soccer, it doesn't quite work that way. The top leagues have their games end in ties if no one wins in regulation. There are also ties in qualifying, and usually the only time there has to be a clear winner in the knockout stages of tournament play (when teams must advance).

That doesn't sit well with many fans, especially when you've been watching a game for hours in hopes of a conclusion. Often weaker teams will play for a tie, especially on the road, as you get a point for such decisions (a win is worth three, a tie one and a loss zero). So there's a very realistic chance that you can spend an afternoon watching a game, only to see it end 0-0.

Which brings us to another problem...

We Want Goals Son, and Lots of 'Em
When games aren't ending in ties, alot of times they end 1-0. Now a game can be spectacularly played - full of great opportunities, solid up-and-down play and plenty of tense moments - but if a player only finds the back of the net once, that's the only goal you'll get.

Playing for 1-0 conclusions is actually a strategy for some teams. Italy is known for playing some of the most lockdown defense of any other country. They normally try to score first and put all their focus into keeping their opponent out of the net. When you have sick D, it's an effective strategy... and a terrible display to have to watch.

We Americans like points. Lots of 'em. Just look at the changes that have been made to hockey. Have you seen some of the hockey scores lately? Subtle rule tweaks were made to increase goal scoring. If the score is tied at the end of regulation and overtime, they go to a shootout. Shootouts are exciting (even if not a truly fair way to decide a winner) but it's something that soccer would never consider for regular season games. One goal games just aren't going to cut it for most American fans.

Isn't That the Sport Where Those Nancy-boys Flop all the Time?
As an avid soccer fan myself, this part of the game infuriates me the most. The constant flopping and faking of injuries really hinders the game. Take a brief look at some notable ones...

soccer players faking injury - More amazing videos are a click away

I feel like it has gotten to the point where players aren't even consciously trying to do it anymore. They've been trained to play that way for their entire careers, and the natural instinct when you're touched is to fall to the ground and flail around like a fish out of water. Seeing players act this way completely turns off most American fans (as it should). When you have a sport as physical as football, and then you see a guy take a dive off a tiny shove, it's bound to make you less-than-thrilled to see a soccer game.

I have a theory though. Where as most Americans see the theatrics of these players as acting soft, I actually think it's for a different reason. I think the soccer players aren't soft at all. To do what they do, 11 months a year, requires you to be one of the top athletes in the world, whether you believe it or not. It has nothing to do with being soft and everything to do with the Europeans being dirty, rotten cheaters.

They're not trying to be pussies when they take these dramatic dives. They just know that by doing that, and by basically cheating, they can get the refs to blow the whistle, make a mistake and give their team an advantage. They've mastered bending the rules in this particular way, and at times it can be very effective. That doesn't make it suck any less.

And just to play devil's advocate... don't football players hold on just about every play? If you watch every play in slow motion, you'll see at least three guys holding. The refs just throw a flag when the penalty is really blatant and causes too much of an advantage. Does it make our athletes any better because they cheat, but don't look like dandies while doing it? Just sayin'.

If Only They Could Make SportCenter's Top 10 Plays....
I think one of the biggest reasons why Americans aren't paying attention to soccer, is the fact that we rarely see highlights. Goals are awesome. The fact that they're really difficult to score makes them that much better to see. Yet, watch your everyday SportsCenter, and you'll be hard-pressed to see a soccer highlight.

Listen, I love seeing thunderous dunks just as much as the next guy, but most of them look pretty similar to one another. When you see five crazy ones a night, it's not quite as cool anymore.

So why not show one, sick soccer highlight a night? What's great about soccer is how many different ways goals are scored. Players score on fast breaks, one-timers, headers, powerful shots from 20+ yards out and even the occasional bicycle kick. If fans see enough of these plays, it may pique their interest to start watching full games. At the very least, it might make them follow or read up on what's going on in soccer when they check out their daily sports websites.

So ESPN, when you're done giving us 12 different opinions on A-Rod, try showing the occasional soccer highlight.

Photos Courtesy of Google and Getty Images

Shameless Plug

2009-02-24T21:43:00.003-05:00

So the latest reports are that Marbury's going to the Celtics. In case you need a reminder of just how crazy Steph is, read it here.

New post coming Thursday or Friday.

NBA Midseason Awards

2009-02-16T19:10:00.014-05:00

Last weekend we were treated to the biggest party of the NBA season. The All-Star break has come and gone, and now the real fun begins; the stretch-run of the NBA season.

There are four legitimate title contenders (Celtics, Cavaliers, Lakers and Spurs) and plenty of intrigue. Here at Flavors of Lovelace, we're going to hand out some midseason awards before we look toward the playoffs (and I'm aware that there's actually been 51 games played, not making it true midseason. But it's my blog. I do what I want.)

(One more thing about the All-Star game before we move along though. All of the Kobe/Shaq love stories we've been forced to read... gotta stop. Have we already forgotten that Shaq performed a not-so-flattering rap freestyle about his former teammate just last summer? Or Kobe's classy confession about Shaq's lovelife in 2004? We're really supposed to believe that these guys are boys now?!? Stop. Please, just stop.)

Kobe must be a fan of Shaq's rapping

Surprise Player - Jameer Nelson
Sad way to start the awards. Nelson was playing unbelievable this season and Orlando had a legitimate chance to get to the NBA Championship. His faults were always his defense (because of his lack of size) and his inability to go left. This year his defense was improved and he practiced all summer going to his weakside. With a healthy Nelson, Orlando can beat anyone in the league. Without him? Probably second round exit at best. Sucks.

Surprise Team - New Jersey Nets
Devin Harris has been an absolute beast this year. Who knew he had it in him? (Certainly not Mark Cuban when he traded him for an almost-washed-up Jason Kidd). Vince Carter, who has been injury-riddled an slightly apathetic the last couple of seasons, has bounced back with a vengeance. Add in the fact that Brook Lopez is playing outstanding, and the Nets are sneaky effective this year. They're battling for a playoff spot and I don't think anyone predicted that to start the year.

Disappointing Player - Elton Brand
I'm a 76ers fan, so maybe I'm a little bias in this pick. I'm not a big numbers guy (I am a writer, after all), but let's take a look at 'ol Elton's season mathematically.

Brand was averaging 13.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.3 assists per game on 45% shooting before getting injured for the rest of the season. He was averaging 3.7 free throw attempts a game. For his career, he's averaged 19.7 ppg, 10 rbg, 2.6 apg on 50% shooting and averaged 6.4 free throw attempts a game. With Brand, the 76ers were 13-16. Without him (as of 2/16).... 14-8.

And here's the most important number. Brand was signed to a 5-year, $80 million contract. At $16 million a year, the 6ers paid Brand roughly $551,724.14 per game this season.

Now that's money well spent.

Nice to see the recession hasn't hurt Brand's bankroll
or his expensive suits.

Disappointing Team - Phoenix Suns
The Suns have been a train-wreck this year. Coach Terry Porter got the axe on Monday, meaning he'll take the brunt of the blame, but owner Robert Sarver is the man at fault (with GM Steve Kerr a close second). He's been trying to cut costs the last four years, so he's traded or given away every pick since 2004 (except their 2008 pick, Robin Lopez, who they kept). The players they've drafted and not kept are: Loul Deng, Nate Robinson, Rajon Rondo and Rudy Fernandez. They also failed to resign Joe Johnson in 2005 when he was entering his prime and all Johnson is doing now is making multiple All-Star appearances and is the current best player on a team primed for a top-4 seed in the playoffs.

Nice work Sarv. Keep up the good work.

This current Suns team has no idea who they're supposed to be. They got Shaq with the belief that he would make Phoenix a better defensive team. Unfortunately, he also takes up a lot of space and has forced the Suns high-octane offense into a plodding half-court one. Then they trade for Jason Richardson - a classic panic trade, and a player that in no way fits with their personnel. The players are uninspired, their best young player (Amare Stoudemire) is on his way out and they have three starters over the age of 34. Hard to believe that they're currently out of the playoffs right now, isn't it?

Team Most Likely To Make A 2nd Half Surge - Indiana Pacers
Before you scoff, consider this. Do you know there's only one team in the NBA to beat the Cavs, Celtics, Lakers and Magic (the four best teams, record-wise, in the league)? That team would be the Pacers.

They played a brutal schedule before the break and are 4 1/2 games back of the 8th seed. But if they can get off to a quick start they'll be right back in the hunt. Looking at their schedule the rest of the month, it's not completely out of the question that Indiana could be just a game back or tied for the last seed going into March. Remember that no one thought Philly would make the playoffs at this time last year. They got hot at the right time and rode the momentum into the playoffs. If there's a team that can do it this year, I think it's the Pacers.

Team Most Likely To Make A 2nd Half Collapse - Detroit Pistons
It might not be fair to pick the Pistons, considering they've pretty much been collapsing since they traded for Allen Iverson, but I predict the collapse to continue. Iverson's clearly not a good fit, and they're another team without much of an identity. Rasheed Wallace looks uninterested (and a step slower), Rip Hamilton is clearly not as good a player without Chauncey Billups setting him up and Rodney Stuckey is as inconsistent as you would expect a second-year point guard getting his first starters minutes to be.

The bright side? Iverson's huge contract comes off the books after this year, so the Pistons will have a ton of money to rebuild.

Defensive Player of the Mid-year - Dwight Howard
His defensive rebounding numbers and blocks are just obscene. He really is an absolute monster in the paint right now. Not to mention he alters nine to 10 shots a game just by patrolling the paint.

ed. note: Special mention goes out to Lebron here too. King James has been filling passing lanes and flying all over the court this year. It's nice to see him commit to the defensive end so hard).

Coach of the Mid-Year - Stan Van Gundy
Van Gundy's always been a great coach. In 2005, he was a Dwayne Wade injury away from getting to the NBA Finals. Then Pat Riley took over and we forgot all about Jeff's older brother. He's made the Magic into a title contender, and no one truly believed they could be at the start of the season.

Now let's see if he can be the Coach of the Year by absorbing the Nelson injury and still take Orlando deep in the playoffs.

As a side note, I think it would be alot easier for all of us take Stan more seriously if he shaved the porn mustache. I mean, the guy looks like Ron Jeremy at a Miami night club with those blazer/black sweater combinations and the thick 'stache. Get rid of that thing Stanny boy.

Van Gundy looks like he just walked off
a porn set in these duds

Anti-Coach of the Year - Mike Dunleavy Sr.
It's tough to pinpoint what was Dunleavy's biggest grievance this season. Was it signing Baron Davis - a bonafide superstar last year, but a player with a proven track record of getting hurt and playing uninspired - to a long-term deal? Was it filling the roster with headcases like Ricky Davis and Zach Randolph? Was it acquiring Marcus Camby, Randolph and Chris Kaman for a combined 34 million, when only two can play at the same time? So many bad decisions to make it hard to pick just one.

Let's just lump them all together and say that he's sucked hard this year.

Rookie of the Year - Derrick Rose
D-Rose is legit. He came in with a lot of hype, and has more than lived up to it. He looks like a better passing Tony Parker right now. The over/under for all-star appearances for Rose in his career is eight.... and I may take the over.

That said, his team is absolutely awful. I really hate the Bulls. They have so many young guys, but they all do the same thing. The wings (Ben Gordon, Deng, Andres Nocioni) can score, but are inconsistent. Their bigs (Tyrus Thomas, Drew Gooden, Joakim Noah) are athletic but can't score (actually, Gooden can score a little bit, but isn't nearly as athletic or valuable as the other two guys). I'm not too crazy about their coach either. What makes it even worse is they were in the mix for guys like Pau Gasol, Kevin Garnett and even Kobe Bryant (to a lesser extent) and could never conjure up the cajoles to pull the trigger.

Here's hoping they get Bosh.

MVP - Lebron James
What more can be said about 'Bronbron? The guy is just an absolute specimen that will be ungaurdable in three years. It's insane to think that he's only 24, and getting better. His improvements on the defensive side of the ball can't be stated enough, and he's good for five or six "Oh my god, how the hell did he do that?" assists and scores a game.

Looking back, it's amazing that James was able to get the Cavs to the Finals in 2007 with such an uninspiring supporting cast. This current team is constructed perfectly to Lebron's strengths; Mo Williams, Delonte West and Daniel Gibson can't be left open because they can kill you with open shots. Anderson Varejao, Ben Wallace and Zydrunas Ilgauskas can take up space, protect the basket and get rebounds. And Lebron can do whatever he wants and is one of the deadliest players in the 4th quarter in the league right now. What Kobe's doing in LA shouldn't be overlooked and Tim Duncan still consistently gets it done for the Spurs, but Lebron's the clear MVP in my opinion.

Playoff Predictions
EAST
(1) Boston over (8) Indiana
(2) Cleveland over (7) Detroit
(6) Miami over (3) Orlando
(4) Atlanta over (5) Philly

(1) Boston over (4) Atlanta
(2) Cleveland over (6) Miami

(2) Cleveland over (1) Boston

WEST
(1) LA Lakers over (8) Utah
(2) San Antonio over (7) Dallas
(3) Denver over (6) Portland
(5) Houston over (4) New Orleans

(1) LA Lakers over (5) Houston
(2) San Antonio over (3) Denver

(1) LA Lakers over (2) San Antonio

NBA Title Prediction - Cleveland over LA Lakers in 6
As fans, we get the Finals we've all been hoping for. Lebron against Kobe for the Title; there's really nothing better than that. It won't be easy; the Lakers will need all their depth (and a healthy Andrew Bynum) to get past the Spurs and Boston certainly won't lay down without a war against the Cavs, but I like them both to advance to the Championship.

Even though LA has been the best team so far this year, I still wonder aloud how tough they are when they're battling against big bodies in the paint. I think Kobe does a good job defensively against Lebron too, but it's the other guys that could really make the Lakers pay. They don't have enough answers for all of the Cavs shooters. And don't forget with the injuries to West and Ilgauskas, the Cavs haven't been playing with their starting lineup since January 2nd. If they're all healthy come playoff time, I think Lebron brings a title to Cleveland.

Come this summer, James may be hoisting an NBA
Championship instead of just the Eastern Conference one

Biggie vs. 'Pac... Settling the Debate

2009-01-27T16:11:00.020-05:00

I've always considered myself a bit of a Hip-Hop head.

I had posters of Tupac on my bedroom wall. I burned through a pair of AA batteries each week, bumping Nas's "Illmatic" and Jay-Z's "Reasonable Doubt in my CD player. I even used to look up the tracklistings for the newest mixtapes getting sold in the cities, so I could download the latest songs and make my own mixtapes.

When people would ask me who the best rapper of all-time was, I always took the easy route. I've always said that it's a tie between Biggie and 'Pac; after their horrific murders I could never decide which one was better. They both meant so much to me as a young rap fan that I never felt the need to differentiate between the two and say who the "best" was.

You could make cases for plenty of other artists too. Rakim, Nas, Chuck D and Run-DMC all have valid arguments for the crown, but for me, it's always been a two-horse race. After seeing Notorious last week, a biopic about Biggie's life (and a must-see if you're a Biggie fan), I've decided to break the tie and choose who the best to ever rock a mic really was.

So let's take a look at the two artists and settle this debate once and for all.

***

SIGNATURE SONG

'Pac - "Dear Mama"
Honorable Mentions - California Love, Brenda's Gotta Baby, Keep Ya Head Up, Hit 'Em Up
With a rapper like Tupac, it's tough to pick a signature song. His style varied so much, based on mood, time-frame and what was happening in his life at the time, that you can make arguments for a lot of different songs. For me, "Dear Mama" wins out. This song, written while he was incarcerated, shows 'Pac's lyrical prowess, storytelling ability and his emotional side (which was one of Tupac's greatest attributes). It was his second highest-selling single and was loved by Hip-Hop purists and non-fans alike. "California Love" was the official West Coast anthem, "Brenda's Gotta Baby" was another example of his ability to craft a well-written story and a special shout goes to "Hit 'Em Up" for being one of the best diss songs ever recorded; but Dear Mama puts all of his talents together.

Biggie - "Juicy"
Honorable Mentions - "Who Shot Ya," "Big Poppa," "Brooklyn's Finest" (Jay-Z's song, that Biggie was featured on)
"Juicy" was Biggie's coming out party. It has great lyrics, a catchy hook and had incredible crossover appeal. To this day, you can still hear this song just about anywhere; from a club in L.A. to at a house party in Brooklyn to a college frat party. Biggie had tons of other, more-lyrical songs than "Juicy," but as far as first singles go, this was a perfect way to introduce himself to rap fans. It's a great song to sing along to, with just about everyone in their 20s able to rap all the words. Plus, the infamous line - "if you don't know, now you know, nigga" is a great excuse for white people to say the N-word. Just sayin'.

EDGE - 'Pac

SIGNATURE ALBUM

'Pac - All Eyez on Me
Honorable Mention - "Me Against the World"
Lyrically, Me Against the World is 'Pac's best album. It's introspective, emotional and shows all of 2Pac's various sides. But for my money, give me 'Pac's two-disc CD full of anger, arrogance and swagger. All Eyez on Me is rumored to have been written in as little as two weeks, and was released just four months after he was bailed out of prison by Death Row Owner Suge Knight. On it, Tupac thoroughly repped the West Coast and most of the song's were about money, women and being a thug. Still, this album represented the Left Coast more than any other album at the time. In the center of the East vs. West battle, this album had West Coast anthems ("California Love") gangster songs ("Ambitionz Az a Ridah," "Tradin War Stories") and mainstream hits ("How Do You Want It"). The album sold nine million, featured some of the best artists in the West at the time (Dre, Snoop, etc.) and was one of 'Pac's best produced albums of his career. Plus, this was the first album I bought with my own money (I actually had this one on tape) so it holds a special place in my heart.

Biggie - Ready to Die
Ready to Die was Big's masterpiece. A perfectly crafted album featuring tales from the street life, dreams of making it big and plenty of clever punchlines. It didn't sell as much as Life After Death but is universally regarded as one of the top albums of all-time. Just scanning the interwebs, and you'll see plenty of people that believe this is one of the best rap albums ever released. You'll be hard-pressed to find a song you don't like on this CD. You want uplifting? Listen to "Juicy." You like hardcore? Put on "Gimme the Loot." How about balla? Look no further than "Big Poppa." Even the ladies get a jam with "One More Chance" (which guys love too). I just started listening to Ready to Die again recently, and let me tell ya, it doesn't age at all. This album is still unbelievable, and when compared to the garbage that's out today? You appreciate it even more....

EDGE - Biggie

LYRICS

'Pac - Tupac had some incredibly lyrical songs, often ones that came straight from the soul. He had an art of storytelling in an easy-to-understand way. His strength was writing songs that were meaningful and made you think. "Brenda's Got a Baby," "Keep Ya Head Up" and "So Many Tears" are some of the best songwriting you'll ever hear.

But part of his strength also contradicts with being a top-flight lyricist. His "thug life" demeanor that he took on full-force later in his career was light on lyrics and heavy on shit-talk. It was entertaining, great to rap to and changed the style and culture of Hip-Hop at the time, but it could of also held back Tupac from a lyrical standpoint.

Biggie - Frank White had arguably the best punchlines of all time. His specialty was rapping about what he knew - life as a street hustler. What made him so good is he was able to fit relatively complicated verbiage into easy-to-understand rhymes that always flowed effortlessly. Before he was signed, his skills earned him a feature in the popular magazine, The Source, in their Unsigned Hype section - which showcases the lyrics of an hot, unsigned MC. Although not a slow rhymer, his flow was normally heavy, but he showed his ability to adapt by lightening and speeding up his rhymes on "Notorious Thugs," to match that of the Bone Thugs and Harmony rappers.

On top of his written rhymes, he was also an impeccable freestyler, which is one of the ways he started building his rep and gaining attention. And on top of making his own albums hot, he also greatly improved his friend's LP's. A perfect example is his ridiculous verse on Diddy's "Victory"...

"Francis, m to the iz-h phenominal/ Gun rest under your vest, by the abdominal/ Rhyme a few bars so i can buy a few cars/ And kick a few flows, so i can pimp a few hoes/ Excellence is my presence, never tense/ Never hesitant, leave a nigga bent, real quick/ real sick, brawl nights, I perform like Mike/ Anyone - Tyson, Jordan, Jackson..."

Sick.

EDGE - Biggie

LONGEVITY

'Pac - It's hard to argue that any MC had more longevity than Tupac. He has actually released the same amount of albums since he passed than while he was living (and that's not if you include "Greatest Hits" albums). It's rumored that 'Pac lived in the studio, oftentimes recording songs for weeks and months at a time. When he was in prison, reading and writing was pretty much all he did, which was proven by his releasing of three CDs in the year after his prison term in 1995. (It was two albums, but All Eyez on Me was a double-disc.) Maybe he wasn't the most lyrical, but he managed to rhyme better than 90 percent of the rappers in his era, at a much larger volume. And his music certainly hasn't grown stale, as his post-death sales top 10 million. The spookiest part is that alot of the songs released after his death contain lyrics that still sound applicable to life now, leading to multiple conspiracy theories that say he's still alive. Regardless of what you believe, it's clear that Tupac has been successful for nearly two decades now.

Biggie - Biggie suffers in this category because his career was cut so short. 2Pac had made five albums before his untimely death, while Biggie had just finished his second. His post-death albums haven't reached anywhere near the critical acclaim of his first two, which show that there's a reason he didn't want to put those verses on his original albums. This one's not that close.

EDGE - 'Pac

AUTHENTICITY

'Pac - What Tupac was; and embraced, was "Thug Life." He believed so much in the mantra that he had it tattooed across his stomach and lived every facet of lifestyle in that way. 'Pac could be completely sincere and introspective one minute, and a reckless bully the next. After his shooting, Tupac embodied the West Coast gangsta mentality in his music, demeanor and personality. With Pac, this was never forced. He embraced street-life, having lived in NYC, Baltimore and Marin City, Cali., and made popular the bandana, tattoo and shirtless look. (The same look that has been copied and downright stolen by rappers that hit it big after 2Pac's death.) There was nothing fake about 'Pac.

Biggie - Where Tupac embodied the West Coast, Biggie was Brooklyn. He mentioned his hometown in numerous songs and was proud of his city. His rhymes were honest, as he rapped about things he saw and was a part of. As Biggie's career got bigger, he started to mature. He moved from a street hustler to a full-blown mafioso don and his songs reflected that. But he also realized that every song didn't have to be about money, drugs and women, even penning the inspirational "Sky is the Limit" on his second album. His style changed after his first album as well, in large part because of Diddy's influence. Boots and black hoodies were replaced by expensive suits. Biggie didn't sell out, but he did change as a person, and even though Biggie was a hero to Brooklyn... 2Pac gets the nod for representing a culture he helped create throughout his entire career.

EDGE - 'Pac

MAINSTREAM RESPONSE

'Pac - When Tupac released his first album, 2Pacalypse Now, he was trying to talk about the ills that faced young, black men in the hood. Although his heart was in the right place, he was lambasted by critics, politicians and white suburbia for his graphic language and violent imagery. His second album, Strictly for my N.I.G.G.A.Z produced the same sentiment amongst the mainstream (surprise, surprise).

He did manage to do movies though, and was critically acclaimed for his roles in Juice in 1992 and Above the Rim in 1994, so he was still pretty famous for a semi-successful rapper. He really broke through musically with Me Against the World, which showed his versatility and introspective side. Then All Eyez on Me dropped, and went nine-times platinum, proving that 'Pac was a mega-superstar. Unfortunately, his career was also littered with prison stints and his thug persona, his very vocal beef with the East Coast and his overall aggressive demeanor didn't endear him to everyone. Some looked at 2Pac as a maker of great party songs, but dismissed him as just a gangster. As marketable as Tupac was, he was more feared than loved.

Biggie - Biggie's success came quickly. "Juicy" was an instant success, thanks to its catchy beat and the marketing push by Diddy and Bad Boy records. The single went gold, Ready to Die sold four million copies, and Biggie was a household name. It helped that he came out when the West Coast was dominating the rap game, so his timing was impeccable. His entire style endeared to the mainstream. Even though he was enormous, he was still (somehow) a sex icon to women, while still being revered by his male fans.

Biggie was killed before Life After Death was released, but the album still had insane success. It was certified diamond (10-times platinum), making it one of the highest grossing rap albums of all-time. Biggie had a knack for making songs that everyone loved. He had party songs, gangster songs, lyrical songs; you name and Biggie could spit it. And spit it well, which is why he was pretty much beloved by the masses (hardcore West Coast rap fans excluded). Had Biggie survived his shooting, his crossover success could've grown even bigger. Diddy definitely gets some of the credit here for being able to market B.I.G. so well, but Biggie gets the nod for his ability to endear himself to all types of fans.

EDGE - Biggie

LEGACY

'Pac - What made Tupac so special is that he would say whatever he felt. There was no filter on 2Pac and if he believed in something, he would express it. He didn't care about creating a persona for the fans... he was who he was. He was a leader in the Hip-Hop community, and whether you agreed with him or not, when Tupac spoke; people listened.

He also was blessed with incredible talent. As great of a rapper as he was, he showed a lot of promise as an actor too. He also could relate to just about anyone; one minute he'd be an articulate intellectual, the next he'd be a thug from the hood. He was looked up to, feared and respected.

When he was killed, most of his fans (including me, for a while) didn't believe it. There were plenty of conspiracy theories. The fact that his voice appeared on albums after he died or that he read Niccolo Machiavelli - who apparently faked his own death (which is merely urban legend, and is actually untrue) all led fans to believe that 'Pac was just hiding out somewhere, and would one day return. Tupac's fans have kept his spirit alive long after he has passed.

Tupac was influential on many levels. There have been essays written about him, speeches given about him, documentaries featuring him and even college classes based around his life. 'Pac is still very much remembered as one of the most important lyricists to ever grace a mic.

Biggie - It's such a tragedy that Biggie's life and career were cut so short. The fact that we only got two real Biggie albums is one of the great crimes to rap fans. In his brief career, he's still regarded as one of the best that ever did it. The Source and Blender named him the best rapper of all time. Check just about any major rap website or magazine, and if they have a list of the best rappers of all time, chances are Frank White's in the top-5.

Biggie also gave a much-needed resurrection to East Coast rap. Before he came, the West Coast dominated, but Biggie reinvigorated the NY rap scene. Some of the other great New York rappers we discuss today, with Jay-Z and Nas being the most notable, point to Biggie as being one of the inspirations for them starting to rap in the first place.

What really shed a light on how strong Biggie's legacy was, was his funeral. His hearse was carried through Brooklyn so his fans could see him one last time. Thousands came out with signs, well-wishes and Biggie songs blaring from stereos to show how much they appreciated him (ed note: it also bears mentioning that not all the fans were peaceful. Arrests were made when some fans got too hostile).

Biggie was a hero, but he was also a man of the people. As big as he got, people from his neighborhood still believed he was the same guy that would freestyle on the corner.

Although Biggie's gone, it's clear that his legacy lives on. Major proof of that is that there's just been a major motion picture made about his life. 'Pac will always be remembered and greatly missed, but I feel like Biggie was truly loved by his fans. And that's why his legacy is (barely) more important.

(slight) EDGE - Biggie

***

So in a narrow 4-3 victory, Biggie wins my best rapper of all-time. I love 'Pac, but what Biggie did in such a short time was too much to ignore. I of course don't consider this the end-all, be-all to the debate, and can see the various arguments for why Tupac - or many other rappers for that matter - could win a "best of all-time" debate. But for now, Biggie's my No. 1, and Pac's my 1a.

And for getting through this long blog post, here's your Moment of Zen... a freestyle featuring both 'Pac and Biggie back when they were still boys. Enjoy.

Photos courtesy of Google Images and Entertainment Weekly

2009-01-20T21:59:00.004-05:00

'Nuff Said...

New Post Coming Tuesday (1/27) or Wednesday (1/28) (the man's really been getting me down...)

Photo Courtesy of Getty Images

2009-01-15T21:00:00.003-05:00

Ed Note: 1/15/09 - I'm going with the Keystone State Super Bowl.
NFC - Eagles 27, Cardinals 21
AFC - Steelers 17, Ravens 13

(Not) Predicting the Conference Championships

2009-01-13T19:02:00.020-05:00

I've got to be honest. Coming into the NFL playoffs, I was feeling pretty confident about my ability to understand this league.

After correctly picking both Miami and Philly to make the playoffs a month ago, I thought I had this season figured out. When the playoffs started, I assumed that I wouldn't have much trouble picking winners and figuring out which teams were contenders and pretenders to win the Super Bowl.

I only went 2-2 in the first round, but my confidence wasn't shaken. I was ready for round 2 and believed in my abilities. I knew what I saw during the season and the first round and was pretty sure that by the end of the Steelers/Chargers game, I'd be looking at 4-0.

Then Saturday afternoon came around. And Chris Johnson went out. And the Titans couldn't hold onto the ball in the redzone. And the officials forgot to throw a flag on a clear delay of game penalty.

Ravens 1, Flavors of Lovelace 0.

Still, that was a close game, between two great teams. The Titans blew a winnable game after losing their best offensive weapon. I wasn't too fazed by that.

Then the Cardinals, Panthers game happened.

Feeling pretty sad Jake? Yeah, that's how I felt
watching you destroy my Panthers Super Bowl pick

It's one thing to pick the wrong winner. It's another to pick a team in a blowout that ultimately loses.

But when you pick a team to blow out their opponent and they end up getting blown out themselves? Well then it's time to re-evaluate the way you predict football games.

I was wrong about the Giants/Eagles game too, but by then, I was too sick over Saturday's game to care. The Steelers are the only team that saved me from going Oh-fer last weekend.

The only solace is that I picked the Steelers to win the Super Bowl at the beginning of the playoffs, and they're still very much in the hunt. Then again, I also picked them to beat the Panthers in that game. So yeah.....

Anyway, for this week's predictions, I'm going to change the script a bit. At this point, I don't think anything would surprise us this weekend. Every team has a very realistic opportunity to win it all and I don't think there's any clear favorite anymore.

So instead of making bold proclamations about who I think is going to win, I'm instead going to write an extended preview of the game, followed by arguing for both teams. Because really, after what we've seen thus far, it doesn't matter who you think will win, but rather how you argue it. Just for fun I'll make an actual pick later this week, but for now, lets take a look at every team's case for getting to the Super Bowl.

Which team will be this year's Giants?

Philadelphia Eagles at Arizona Cardinals

Vegas Line - Opened at Philly giving 3, but has since moved to the Iggles giving 3.5.

Super Bowl Odds - You get 2 to 1 odds on the Eagles winning it all, while the Cards are currently at 5 to 1.

Key Matchup for the Cards - Larry Fitzgerald vs. Eagles Secondary

Larry Fitz is an absolute monster right now. When I see Kurt Warner throw the ball up into clear double-teams to him, I always expect Fitz to come down with it. And he always does. He made the Panthers secondary look pathetic, and he was ALL they had to focus on with Anquan Boldin out. The Eagles have a much more established secondary with Asante Samuel (one of the best playoff playmakers ever), Brian Dawkins (playing on a mission right now), Sheldon Brown (a hard-hitting, smart corner) and Quintin Mikell (underrated safety, who led the team with 169 tackles). The Eagles will be throwing double and triple teams at him all day. Fitz will have to continue to prove that he's the best receiver in the league and find holes in the secondary. Eagles D-Coordinator Jim Johnson loves to brings the blitz. For Kurt Warner to have any chance of staying upright, Fitz will have to find openings in the defense and make big plays.

Key Matchup for the Eagles - Brian Westbrook vs. the Cardinals Front Seven

The Cardinals secondary has been playing fantastic this postseason. They have seven interceptions (the most of any playoff team) and effectively made Jake Delhomme look like a high school quarterback (and a JV one at that). During the regular season, the best way to beat the Cards was on the ground, but Arizona bottled up Michael Turner in the first round, while Carolina inexplicably never really tried to run against them. Westbrook hasn't had a great postseason. He has only had one really big play in the playoffs; the long screen pass against the Vikings, but has yet to really get going consistently. To beat the Cards on Sunday, he'll have to be able to run effectively and keep the Cards secondary honest, to allow McNabb to look downfield.

Interesting Subplot, that may be Beaten into the Ground by Gametime - The last time these two teams played was Thanksgiving and the Eagles stomped Arizona 48-20. The two weeks before that, McNabb played terrible in a game against the Cincinnati Bengals that resulted in a tie, and led to his shocking revelation that he didn't know an NFL game could end in a tie. The next week he stunk it up against the Ravens in the first half, and was surprisingly benched in favor of backup and second-year player Kevin Kolb. It's possible that if the Eagles didn't have a short week going into the the Thanksgiving game, they would have stuck with Kolb and started rebuilding for next year (remember they were 5-5-1 and that point). The first game of McNabb's resurgence came against Arizona.

Potential X Factor - The Cards home crowd

I know we just witnessed three home teams go out last week, but Arizona had a outstanding crowd in its first game against Atlanta (which was subsequently their first home playoff game in 61 years). Factor in that the tickets for this game were sold out in six minutes and you can see that Arizona's pretty pumped for this one.

The Cards fans really brought the noise in the first round

Case for the Cards - No one thought the Cards would be here. I mean no one. Not you, not me, not even the Cardinals players. They poured gatorade on coach Ken Whisenhunt after winning their first game against Atlanta. We're giving gatorade showers after winning our first round home playoff games now?

Arizona has relished the underdog role all playoffs. They also have a former Super Bowl MVP in Kurt Warner leading them and a resurgent Edgerrin James (who has playoff experience himself). They have the best receiver in the league, who is borderline unstoppable right now. If the Cardinals can get up quick and get that hungry, home crowd behind them, they can rattle an Eagles team who has a history of melting in a loud, raucous arenas (see: Redskins, Week 16).

Add in an inevitable Andy Reid coaching mistake and 'Zona can do enough to punch their ticket to Tampa Bay.

Case for the Eagles - You could argue that seeing the Eagles here isn't a surprise at all. Many picked Philly to make a Super Bowl run when the season started. But when they were 5-5-1, it looked like the McNabb, and probably the Reid era, were over.

But since that loss, something has happened to this team. Besides the Redskins defeat, the Eagles have been downright dominant since the Ravens loss and seem to be gelling perfectly at the right time. Their defense has been the most impressive, yielding just 12.5 points per game (good for 2nd in the playoffs) and confusing quarterbacks with all their pressure. The Eagles have a similar feel of the 2008 Giants and the 2006 Steelers: Wildcard teams that got hot late in the season and rode that momentum all the way to a Super Bowl win.

If the Eagles triple team Fitz and force the Cards to beat them with their run game and other options, Warner and Co. may not have an answer. Also consider that Warner isn't the most mobile of quarterbacks in the pocket. If the Eagles can bring pressure and bring Warner to the turf early, and put some points on the board themselves, it could force Arizona to press. Plus, Arizona's pretty happy to be here. They could be a little too happy to be here, while the Eagles, McNabb and Reid are hungry to leave a successful legacy in Philadelphia. This year's team is capable of making this Eagles team a team to remember.

Baltimore Ravens vs. Pittsburgh Steelers

Vegas Line - Opened at Steelers giving 5 and has already moved to 6. People love themselves some terrible towel.

Super Bowl Odds - Steelers are a non-lucrative 9 to 5, while the Ravens are probably the best value of all the teams left at 4 to 1.

Key Matchup for the Ravens - Joe Flacco vs. Pittsburgh's D

Flacco has been great during the playoffs. He hasn't had to do too much; and hasn't, but he has done enough to win. The first game the Ravens played against Pittsburgh this season, they were in control of the game, but Flacco had a costly third quarter fumble, which was brought back for a touchdown, and completely changed the momentum of the game. In the second meeting, he was awful, and the Steelers came back and won. Even though Flacco's a rookie, he can't play like one on Sunday. The Ravens will want to run the ball, but it's difficult to run against Pittsburgh. He'll have to make some throws, in the hostile environment that is Heinz Field, if the Ravens want to advance to the Super Bowl.

Key Matchup for the Steelers - Willie Parker vs. Raven's Front Seven

Fast Willie looked the healthiest I've seen him since the beginning of the season last week. He was cutting up the Chargers defense at will and was back to his normally speedy self. Conversely, Chris Johnson was dicing up a normally impossible-to-run-on, Ravens defense last week too. He just looked too fast and shifty for the linemen and linebackers and was picking up positive yards in bunches. Parker is similar to Johnson in that he uses speed and quick moves to pick up yardage. No one's expecting Parker to have a huge day, but if he can reel off a couple of solid runs, it may open up the play-action deep pass. You have to keep the Ravens D off balance, or else Ed Reed will just sit back and bait Ben into a mistake.

Fast Willie proved why he got the nickname last week

Interesting Subplot, that may be Beaten into the Ground by Gametime - I don't know if you heard, but these two teams played twice in the regular season. Yeah, they're even in the same division. Hey, it's pretty hard to beat a team three times in the same season, ya know? Oh you've heard that one before? Really???

Jokes aside, this game promises to be a bloodbath. These teams hate each other. Not football hate, but the kind of hate where if they saw each other off the field out at a bar, a brawl could ensue. The Ravens are a prideful (read: arrogant) bunch, that despise the fact that they lost two games to Pittsburgh this year. They think they're the better team. They want to prove that the AFC North doesn't go through Pittsburgh anymore. And they're still pretty pissed about their last game that ended in controversy, when Santonio Holmes's final touchdown catch may or may not have crossed the plane. This game is the reason why we watch football.

Potential X Factor - The Steelers Offensive Line.

They played arguably their best game of the season last week, keeping Roethlisberger upright and only allowing one sack. Ben responded with a great game and Pittsburgh won relatively easy. The Ravens will certainly be bringing a ton of heat to test that O-line this time around. If Roethlisberger's pressured, he tends to make mistakes.

Case for the Ravens - This current team has some similarities to the 2000 Ravens team. Awesome defense, potentially shaky quarterback and Ray Lewis running the show. They've already proven they can win a Super Bowl without a great quarterback; what makes us think they can't do it again?

Baltimore's also a team that no one wants to play right now, and that includes the Steelers. The Ravens want revenge in the worst way, and they'll be out for blood in this game. With their defense, they have a chance in every game, no matter what the score. If they can bottle up Willie early, it'll force Ben to have to throw more than he wants to. Then the Ravens can bring the heat and either sack him, or make him force some throws. You do not want to force throws with Ed Reed patrolling the middle of the field.

This game is going to be close so it's going to come down to just one or two plays that will ultimately decide it. If the Ravens can continue to do what they've been doing all year: run the ball, play terrifying defense and Flacco making one or two big plays down field, they'll win this game.

Case for the Steelers - Credit Pittsburgh for being here after playing an absolutely murderous schedule the entire year. They've been constantly banged up, but their defense, coaching and ability to make just enough plays to win have got them in this position.

Last week the Steelers were something they haven't been most of this season: healthy. And when they're healthy, we see what Pittsburgh is capable of. They controlled the Chargers (including only letting them have one offensive play in the third quarter) and imposed their will on a clearly inferior foe.

The Ravens aren't inferior in any way. Baltimore is as good as the Steelers... almost. It's close, but Pittsburgh is still the better team. Plus, they're playing at Heinz Field, a notoriously difficult stadium to play in. And they have a major trump card in this one; Ben vs. Flacco. This is Roethlisberger's third AFC Championship game. For a 26-year-old, he's pretty seasoned. He knows how to win these games. Flacco will one day be great, but right now he reminds me (and just about everyone else) of a young Roethlisberger. The same young Roethlisberger that ultimately went out in the playoffs after playing a terrible game. If Pittsburgh can block up front, play smart and make Flacco uncomfortable, they should be going for their league-leading, sixth Super Bowl win.

Ultimately, the AFC Championship might come down

to the battle of big, goofy quarterbacks

PICKS COMING THURSDAY

Images courtesy of Sports Illustrated's Al Tieleman and John W. McDonough, Getty Images and Google Images

The Always Entertaining Starbury Show

2009-01-07T19:14:00.015-05:00

When you talk about Stephon Marbury to NBA fans, you get plenty of different reactions; and most of those reactions are negative.

There's good reason. Marbury has been regarded as one of the dumbest, most arrogant and selfish players in the league. The Knicks are currently paying him, but won't let him anywhere near their facilities, and Steph gets to sit home and pick up checks for doing nothing (the American dream if you ask me).

I think it's safe to say, that Steph is loving life right now

So it came as a shock to most NBA fans when it was announced that the reigning NBA Champion Boston Celtics were thinking about signing Marbury when he's eventually bought out by the Knickerbockers. Many (including myself) think this would be a terrible idea. Why mess with the chemistry of a champion by bringing on a headache like Marbury?

What's interesting about this is that if the Celts were to sign Steph, it would reunite the mercurial guard with Kevin Garnett. The two of them played together in Minnesota when they first got in the league.

So with this signing looking more and more like a possibility, let's take a look at just how these vastly different players might end up as teammates once again.

* * *

I still remember when Marbury first entered the league, way back in the 1996 draft.

That draft class was loaded. A.I. went first. Ray Allen went fifth. Steve Nash went 15th and some guy name Kobe went 13th by the Charlotte Hornets, refused to play for them and forced a trade to the Lakers. With the fourth pick, the Milwaukee Bucks chose a flashy guard, who played just one year at Georgia Tech. They promptly traded him the Minnesota Timberwolves for Allen.

The kid, dubbed by fans and the media as "Starbury" had it all. He had flash. Charisma. Marketability. Street cred. He was a cocky, Brooklyn point guard, with swagger for days and he was coming into the NBA at the exact time that the Hip Hop Culture was starting to take the league by storm. Hell, I even had his poster on my bedroom wall.

Best of all, he was going to the Timberwolves, joining a freak of an athlete and uber-competitor in Garnett - who Minnesota drafted fifth overall the year before. The two were going to be the new faces of basketball in Minnesota.

It was all laughs for KG and Steph in the beginning...

The honeymoon started out well enough. Garnett and Marbury led the T-Wolves to the playoffs in 1997 and '98 and although they lost in the first round during those years, the team was looking like an eventual championship contender. After the 1998 season, Garnett was rewarded with a lucrative 6-year, 126-million dollar contract, which made him the highest paid athlete at the time. While KG was being set up for life, Marbury was fuming.

The 1999 season was shortened due to an NBA lockout that disrupted the start of the season. When play resumed, Marbury made it well known that he wasn't happy. There are plenty of rumors out there as to why, but most agree that he was stung by the fact that he would always be second fiddle to KG, even though he felt he was the better player. He also missed the bright lights of New York, and was willing to break up a championship-caliber team to get his wishes.

He did. He was traded to the New Jersey Nets in a three-team deal. And from there, Marbury and KG's career took decisively different paths.

KG stayed loyal to the franchise that believed in him when they drafted him right out of high school. After the Marbury trade, the T-Wolves would make brief appearances to the playoffs, which all ended with first round defeats. In the 2003-04 season, the team added all-star caliber players in Latrell Sprewell and Sam Cassell. That year, KG won the MVP award and Minnesota got to the Western Conference Finals, before losing to the Lakers (in large part because Cassell injured his back and was severely limited in that series). KG would never reach the playoffs again with the T-Wolves, but was traded to the Celtics before the start of the 2007-08 season. With Allen and Paul Pierce forming "the Big 3," KG got his first NBA Championship.

Garnett got his Championship while Marbury
continued to tarnish his legacy

Steph's career on the other hand, can best be described as a huge disappointment. He blossomed into an NBA all-star with the Nets, but never made the playoffs in his three seasons there. He was traded to the Suns for Jason Kidd in 2001. Although Marbury did help lead the Suns to the playoffs in 2003, the trade was largely looked at as a steal in favor of the Nets. Kidd dragged New Jersey out of the NBA basement and took them to back-to-back NBA Championship appearances in 2002 and 2003.

Although Marbury got the Suns to the playoffs, he couldn't lead them out of the first round. In 2004 he was traded to the Knicks. It was believed that going back home, to the place where he mastered his game, would be just what he would need to finally reach his full potential. Instead, the Knicks stayed terrible and Marbury's attitude was cancerous to the team. He had an ongoing feud with head coach Larry Brown in 2005-06 and the entire city of New York started to turn on him.

Isiah Thomas, who had been the Knicks (terrible) GM since the end of 2003, took over as head coach in 2006. Thomas is one of the greatest point guards of all-time and both he and Marbury believed that with Thomas as coach, it would be enough to finally revive Marbury's career.

It wasn't. They had a public feud just like with Brown. Things got so bad in New York, that there was a lawsuit levied against Thomas for sexual harassment by a Knicks employee (which the employee won in a settlement). Marbury was called to testify in that trial, leading to a bizarre and appalling, yet admittedly hilarious testimony. Lets just say that Marbury prefers the back of trucks to traditional beds any day....

During all of this, Marbury has gotten all of the things he's wished since demanding a trade from Minnesota. He has been grossly overpaid since leaving and has always been the No. 1 guy. He has also never gotten out of the first round of the playoffs.

This season the Knicks have essentially banished Marbury from the team, while still picking up his ridiculous contract. While Marbury is getting paid not to play, KG has been busy trying to defend his title.

The Boston Celtics had looked like a historic team for much of this season, going into their Dec. 25th game and championship rematch against the Lakers with an absurd 27-2 record, including a 15-game winning streak. Analysts and fans were debating whether they had a shot of reaching the 1995-96 Chicago Bulls record of 72 wins.

Boston ended up losing to the Lakers in the Christmas game and have been free-falling ever since. Including the loss to the Lakers, they've dropped six of their last eight games, with two of those defeats coming against the Knicks and Charlotte Bobcats. Those teams aren't exactly setting the world on fire.

The problem with Boston is their depth. They have arguably the best starting lineup in the league but when your key bench guys are Leon Powe, Tony Allen and Eddie House... you're going to have some problems.

And there's one proven player out there, who will be relatively cheap. He'll provide scoring, experience and depth to a team that desperately needs all three.

Enter Starbury.

* * *

It seems insane that the Celtics would actually consider this. Marbury has proven time and time again that he's not worth the hassle. He's a malcontent, a whiner and generally a few cards short of a full deck....

Bringing him on could spell disaster for the Celtics chances of a championship repeat.

But right now, everyone seems to be saying the right things. Steph says he would love to be reunited with KG and wants to play for the Celtics, a contender that will allow him to get the ring that it seemed he'd never get in his career. KG says he'd welcome his ex-teammate to Boston with open arms.

From a pure theater standpoint, I'd love to see this happen. Who knows what would've happened if Marbury never fled the T-Wolves and became the potent one-two punch with Garnett that we all expected? He may have two or three rings by now. He may be known as one of the best point guards of the last decade. He may have never gotten the legacy as one of the most disappointing players in the NBA.

Going to Beantown might be Starbury's final shot at redemption.

I know Ill be watching.

Photos courtesy of Lombard/News and Google images

The Playoffs are (Finally) Here

2008-12-30T19:18:00.020-05:00

So as NFL fans, we've finally reached our pinnacle. The playoffs. A new season starts tomorrow and we'll soon have a new Super Bowl winner crowned.

It's been a pretty weird and unexpected season. An 11 win team didn't make the playoffs while a team that won just one game last year, did. Detroit made history in the worst possible way. Brett Favre led a minor resurgence in New York, then reminded us why he decided to step away in the first place.

Brett was who we thought he was, which was a very old man

A Hall of Fame quarterback's career is in jeopardy, a coach dropped his pants, old quarterbacks and rookie running backs took center stage and T.O. mouthed off and became a cancer on what should've been a great team.

Well I guess not everything was so unexpected after al l....

But now it's time to look at the NFL playoff picture. I predicted who I though t would make the playoffs three weeks ago and hit some homeruns (hell yeah Miami and Philly!) and looked like a fool with some others (I'm looking at you Tampa Bay) but it's time to look into the future again, starting with this weekend's wildcard games.

Atlanta Falcons at Arizona Cardinals

This one features a contrast of recent performance. Atlanta has been one of the hottest second half teams, led behind the Offensive Rookie of the Year, Michael Turner and a first-year head coach. Arizona on the other hand has been going in the wrong direction since they clinched a playoff berth and doesn't look like anything resembling a playoff team. The Cards are 6-2 at home though, and you would think they'd step up for their first playoff game since 1998.

Personally, I think the Cards kinda suck. I'm going with the Falcons to continue their shocking turnaround and Matt Ryan to prove he's legit. I thought Ryan wouldn't be good when he first came into the NFL and he's proved me wrong all season; let's see if the kid can do it in the playoffs.

Matt Ryan's been the opposite of suck this season

Indianapolis Colts at San Diego Chargers

How hard were the Colts rooting for the Broncos last weekend? Had Denver won that game, Indy would've had a cupcake first round, Mike Shanahan would still have a job and San Diego would've been labeled the most disappointing team of 2008 (with the Jaguars a very close 2nd). Instead, the Colts have to play the one team they always seem to have trouble with and the Chargers get the chance to redeem themselves after a pretty piss-poor performance during the regular season.

But it's pretty hard to bet against Peyton Manning after how the Colts have played in the second half. I'm picking the Colts in a game that goes down to the wire, with Manning finding a way to win it in the last two minutes.

Baltimore Ravens at Miami Dolphins

The last time these two teams played, the Ravens dominated the 'Fins. Since then, though, both these teams have played excellent. I think this one's a lot closer than the first and it'll come down to defense and turnovers.

The Ravens have one of the scariest and opportunistic defenses in the league, while the Dolphins are the best team in turnover differential. I think this is one of the more entertaining games of the playoffs but the Ravens sneak through by forcing Chad Pennington into a costly turnover late in the game that seals it. (And that would mean Joe Flacco and Matt Ryan both advance in the playoffs. I just picked two rookie quarterbacks to advance in the playoffs? Yikes.)

Philadelphia Eagles at Minnesota Vikings

Let me start by saying that there's no way this should be the final game of wildcard weekend. This one's probably the biggest mismatch on the board. The way the Eagles have been playing, they should win this game easily, but Philly does have the tendency of forgetting to show up in certain games (like the Cincinnati tie, or the god-awful performance against the Redskins in Week 16).

Still, I like the Eagles, and more for their defensive play than anything else. Brian Dawkins is playing like a cagey veteran on a mission, and I really really really don't like Tavaris Jackson in the playoffs. The Vikings surprisingly good home crowd keeps them in the game in the first half, but I think the Birds run away with it in the second and cruise to the next round.

Donovan might not know that there's overtime in the NFL,

but he should know how to beat the Vikings secondary

That's what I see for this weekend. And just for fun, I'll predict all the way to the Super Bowl, without the lengthy explanations.

SECOND ROUND

(1) NY Giants over (6) Philly

(2) Carolina over (5) Atlanta

(1) Tennessee over (6) Baltimore

(2) Pittsburgh over (5) Indianapolis

CONFERENCE CHAMPIONSHIPS

(2) Carolina over (1) NY Giants

(2) Pittsburgh over (1) Tennessee

SUPER BOWL

Pittsburgh 24 Carolina 20

Pictures courtesy of Google Images

The Curious Case of Charlie and Romeo

2008-12-16T18:54:00.024-05:00

The date was Feb. 6, 2005. The Patriots had just won their third Super Bowl in four years, this one a 24-21 victory over the Philadelphia Eagles (which was more lopsided than the score indicated). The Pats were officially a dynasty.

Head coach Bill Belichick embraced his two coordinators; the architect's of a gritty defense and a potent offense. He was hugging them because he would never break down game film with them again. One would take his advanced and strategic offensive playbook to one of the most celebrated college football programs in the NCAA: Notre Dame. The other would take his hard-nosed defensive philosophy to a Cleveland Browns team that had struggled to string together wins since re-joining the NFL in 1999. Both were going to be first-time head coaches and were expected to be great, just like their mentor. One was Charlie Weiss. The other, was Romeo Crennel.

Hold me Charlie

Both coaches had their fair share of success. Weiss showed immediate results with the Fighting Irish, leading them to a 9-3 record after the team struggled to finish .500 the two seasons prior to him arriving. Notre Dame would lose to USC, their arch rival, on a last-second touchdown in what would be the most lucrative game of Weiss's career. That loss prompted the Notre Dame brass to open up the checkbook and give Weiss an absurd 10-year contract, proving that they were fully confident that Weiss was the man to take them to their first National Championship in nearly two decades.

Crennel struggled in his first two seasons with the Browns, unable to pull them out of the mediocrity that had plagued the franchise for years. But in the 2007 season, the Browns seemingly turned a corner. Behind the strong arm of Derek Anderson and big-play receivers Braylon Edwards and Kellen Winslow, Cleveland shocked the NFL, finished 10-6, just barely missing the playoffs. Crennel was given an extension, and it looked like the Browns would soon be challenging the Steelers for the AFC North division title.

In 2007, Anderson and Edwards were beboppin'
and scattin' and all over the NFL

In both coaches cases, everything fell apart. In Weiss's next season, the Fighting Irish went 10-2, before getting embarrassed by LSU in the Sugar Bowl. After that season, prized quarterback Brady Quinn went to the NFL, and the wheels completely fell off. Weiss went a combined 9-15, and in his four seasons at the helm, now actually has a worst winning percentage (.571) than the two previous coaches that were fired before him (Tyrone Willingham and Bob Davie both had .583 percentages).

The free-fall led to calls for Weiss to be removed; a fairly tall order when you consider how much he was making and how many years he had left on his contract. Weiss was able to (barely) keep his job, but it already looks like Weiss isn't cut out for the college game. He's arrogant, unlikable and generally a dick (sorry Charlie). What's even more troubling is that Weiss has always been praised for his high-octane offense, yet that has been one of Notre Dame's biggest problems. The Fighting Irish finished a pedestrian 74th out of 120 Division 1-A teams in total offense this season.

Crennel on the other hand was riding high coming into this season. Talking heads picked Cleveland to unseat Pittsburgh in the division, and ESPN and the NFL were so confident in the Browns ability to draw viewers, that they scheduled them in five prime-time games this year.

As we all found out, the Browns complete and utterly suck this season. Watching Romeo in the Browns' Monday night game against the Eagles, as he stared out onto the field in sad disbelief in what he was seeing, part of me felt bad for the guy. He's just so completely inept as a head coach that it's surprising he has kept his job this long. He's a terrible clock manager and doesn't have a tough enough demeanor to command the respect of an NFL locker room. He has always been praised for his defensive intelligence, yet the Browns D ranks a pitiful 27th out of 32 teams. At this point, Romeo is just counting down the days until his inevitable firing at the end of the year.

It's probably better for Crennel anyway. After he's fired, he'll probably be hired as a defensive coordinator, which is what he is best suited for. Some guys just aren't cut out to be head coach, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Look at Cam Cameron, who went 1-15 as the head coach for the Dolphins last year. This year he is an offensive coordinator for the Ravens, and getting the most out of a rookie quarterback, no-name running backs and zero game-breaking receivers. He has been the best coordinator this year and his team has a chance to make the playoffs.

Cam never could quite get the mannerisms down of a head coach

Weiss's case is absolutely hilarious to me. He actually tricked Notre Dame into paying him a ridiculous amount of money for no real reason. The fact that he got the huge contract after his team LOST the USC game makes the situation even more perplexing. He should have fun next season as Irish fans are loudly questioning his decisions and voicing for his ouster when Notre Dame is 3-3 at the midpoint of the 2009 season.

I hate to admit this but Belichick might have to get even more credit than he already does for the Pats dynasty. It's one thing that both his coordinators have failed miserably. Add in the fact that they've failed at what they know best (offense for Weiss, defense for Crennel) shows they may have been a little overrated all along. Plus, who needs them when you can just cheat, right? (sorry, I had to have one)

While his pupils struggle, Belichick's Patriots have been one of the most consistently good teams in the NFL. The Pats have won AFC East titles and made it to the playoffs the last three seasons. They had a perfect 18-0 record last year before losing in the Super Bowl, and he has New England in position to make the playoffs again with a quarterback that hadn't even started a football game since high school before this season. Interestingly enough, Belichick hasn't won a Super Bowl since 2005, when both Weiss and Crennel left.

Which begs the question: What could've been if Weiss and Crennel never left? Do the Patriots get a couple more rings with Charlie and Romeo still around? Would the Pats offense be even more statistically insane in 2007 than they were with Weiss running the show? Would Crennel be able to get more out of a Pats defense that has gotten progressively older and slower the past few seasons?

We'll never know. All we'll know is that it's clear that Crennel and Weiss were never cut out to be head coaches. In the NFL, coordinators are always looking to move up. You basically just need to have one really good season and you're the hottest name out there. Sometimes it works wonderfully, but sometimes, it might mean you're in over your head.

Next season there's sure to be plenty of coordinators that think their ready to run the show. I just hope that some take a lesson from Charlie and Romeo.

Because just three years ago, they both were at the pinnacle of their coaching careers. Now? Their both punchlines for a Flavors of Lovelace blog post.

How the mighty have fallen.

Photos courtesy of Google Images

Predicting the NFL Playoffs, Part 2

2008-12-10T19:24:00.017-05:00

Yesterday I predicted the NFC playoffs. Today, lets take a look at the AFC.

(Side Note: When I predicted the Eagles to make the playoffs yesterday, I assumed they'd get there by continuing to pound the ball with Westbrook. But after reading this, I'm not as confident about their chances. Andy Reid, in his infinite wisdom, explained that the Birds newfound running philosophy in last week's upset win against the Giants was due to the wind and nothing else. If that means that Reid will go back to putting McNabb in a shotgun on every down and throwing the ball 40+ times a game, all bets are off).

I thought the Eagles had a shot at the playoffs,
but the mad scientist Andy Reid may have other ideas

Back to the predictions....

AFC
(1) Tennessee Titans (13-3)
at Houston (L), Pittsburgh (W), at Indianapolis (L)

(2) Pittsburgh Steelers (11-5)
at Baltimore (L), at Tennessee (L), Cleveland (W)

(3) Miami Dolphins (11-5)
San Francisco (W), at Kansas City (W), at NY Jets (W)

(4) Denver Broncos (8-8)
at Carolina (L), Buffalo (L), at San Diego (L)

(5) Indianapolis Colts (12-4)
Detroit (W), at Jacksonville (W), Tennessee (W)

(6) Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
Pittsburgh (W), at Dallas (L), Jacksonville (W)

LEFT OUT
*New England Patriots (11-5)
at Oakland (W), Arizona (W), at Buffalo (W)
*NY Jets (10-6)
Buffalo (W), at Seattle (W), Miami (L)
*San Diego (7-9)
Kansas City (W), at Tampa Bay (L), Denver (W)

EXPLANATION

Tennessee has been the most impressive team in the NFL thus far, but they're running out of things to play for. They just clinched the division last week, and I think they come out a little uninspired this week, leading to an upset loss to the upstart Texans. They play Pittsburgh next, which could be an AFC championship preview, which I think they win (in what could be one of the best games of the year). They finish with a meaningless loss to the Colts - where they sit most of starters in the second half - and cruise to the No. 1 seed.

I can't figure out how Pittsburgh has 10 wins right now. Living in Baltimore, and having to watch an inordinate amount of Steelers games (since they're in the same division as the Ravens), I can tell you that there have been about four games this year that Pittsburgh had no business winning (Cleveland, Baltimore, San Diego and Dallas come to mind). But their defense is downright terrifying and keeps them in every game they play. That being said, I think they lose to Baltimore in a grudge match for the ages, then lose to the Titans before routing the ship and pummeling a poor, defenseless Browns team in the season-finale. The tiebreakers come into place between the Steelers and Bmore. Both teams will finish with the same division record of 5-1, and will have the same record against common opponents. It'll come down to how each team performed against the AFC, where both have ridiculous records. The Steelers record of 10-2 will barely edge out the Ravens' 9-3 and they'll grab the No. 2.

Troy Polamalu and his flowing locks make the Steelers a contender

Right now the AFC East is completely up for grabs. I like Miami because of two major reasons: They're well coached (Tony Sparano) and don't turn the ball over. Plus, it's finally time to give Chad Pennington his due and (gulp) put him in the MVP discussion. I'm not saying he should win, or even come in the top 3, but his leadership on a team that won just one game last year needs to at least be acknowledged more. I think San Fran's got a shot to upset the 'Fins this week though. That may sound like a homer pick (I'm a Niners fan), but you have to admit, the last two weeks the Niners seem to have the AFC East's number. But with Frank Gore banged up and maybe not even playing, I think the 'Fins survive, then beat Kansas City on the road, setting up a win-and-get-in between them and the Jets in the season finale. That'll set the stage for Pennington's perfect revenge; beating the team that cut him and denying Favre and New York a spot in the playoffs. Hey, stranger things have happened right?

It's the AFC West, so do we really even care? The Broncos lose their next two games which should set up a season-finale, playoff-qualifying game against the Chargers. Unfortunately, San Diego will blow it by losing at Tampa Bay the week before and effectively eliminate themselves from contention. Denver, with nothing to play for, loses to the Chargers to finish .500, but still nabs the fourth seed. They'll go on to get obliterated by whoever they play in the first round while teams like the Patriots and Jets are forced to watch the embarrassment from home.

The Colts have been rolling since week 8, although they haven't looked terribly impressive in a lot of those wins. Still, they're defense is solid and they have Peyton Manning, so I think they win their next three and get the fifth seed. It helps that they'll play the Titans in the finale when Tennessee will have nothing to play for.

I absolutely hate to admit it, but Joe Flacco's pretty good (After covering him in the preseason, I thought he'd be terrible). He has been outstanding - especially for a rookie - during the second half of the season. Add in the fact that Baltimore has the most opportunistic defense in the league (with guys like Ed Reed and Ray Lewis playing like its 2003), they're well coached and find ways to come up with a couple big plays every game, and this may be one of the scariest teams to see in the playoffs. I think they win a great game against Pittsburgh this week, followed by a letdown game and loss against Dallas. They pound Jacksonville in the finale leaving them at 11-5 and tied with the Pats. The tiebreak comes down to conference record, where Bmore's 9-3 beats the Pats 7-5 and they grab the last seed.

You do NOT want to see the Ravens' D in the playoffs

So that's what I think the playoffs look like in a few weeks. We've got some teams that were expected to be in this position when the season started and a lot more that seemingly came out of nowhere.

Then again, I'm the same guy who picked the Cowboys to beat the Chargers in the Super Bowl before the season started, so what the hell do I know?

Shawne, you pretty much could've done the "Lights Out"
dance on the Chargers season once you went out

All images courtesy of Google Images

Predicting the NFL Playoffs

2008-12-09T19:21:00.021-05:00

When Tom Brady went down in the Patriot's first game of the season, he wasn't the only one that took a brutal, season-derailing hit. Football fans did too.

Whether you like or loathe the Pats (I consider myself in the latter), you have to admit that you had a vested interest in watching a player like Brady perform and a team like the Patriots dominate. You may root against them, but you're still engaged, and sometimes it's more fun to root against a team than to cheer for one.

When Brady got injured - and to a lesser extent, when the Colts struggled mightily out of the gate - it allowed just about every team to have a shot to make the playoffs, and ultimately make a run at the Super Bowl.

And now with three weeks left in the season, we're seeing just how much parity is really in the NFL. As of today, there's a whopping 20 teams that still have a mathematical chance to make the playoffs. So we might as well speculate, right? Here's my predictions for the 2008-09 NFL playoffs.

NFC
(1) NY Giants (13-3)
at Dallas (L), Carolina (W), at Minnesota (W)

(2) Tampa Bay Bucs (11-5)
at Atlanta (L), San Diego (W), Oakland (W)

(3) Arizona Cardinals (10-6)
Minnesota (W), at New England (L), Seattle (W)

(4) Minnesota Vikings (9-7)
at Arizona (L), Atlanta (W), NY Giants (L)

(5) Carolina Panthers (11-5)
Denver (W), at NY Giants (L), at New Orleans (L)

(6) Philadelphia Eagles (10-5-1)
Cleveland (W), at Washington (W), Dallas (W)

LEFT OUT
* Dallas Cowboys (10-6)
NY Giants (W), Baltimore (W), at Philly (L)
* Atlanta Falcons (10-6)
Tampa Bay (W), at Minnesota (L), St. Louis (W)
* New Orleans Saints (9-7)
at Chicago (L), at Detroit (W), Carolina (W)
* Chicago Bears (8-8)
New Orleans (W), Green Bay (L), at Houston (L)
* Washington Redskins (8-8)
at Cincinnati (W), Philadelphia (L), at San Francisco (L)

EXPLANATION

I think the G-Men lose next week to Dallas, prompting the media shitstorm of stories claiming "Plax's Legal Woes Destroy Giants Season." After a week of questioning the Giants playoff chances, they soundly beat Carolina in the Meadowlands and finish the season with a win against Minnesota (I think even the Giants scrubs in the second half get it done) to grab the No. 1 seed.

Take a bow Plax, you've almost single-handedly
ruined the Giants season

Tampa Bay will lose to Atlanta next week, because no one can seem to beat an NFC South team at their place, and it'll look like they'll be in trouble to just make the wild card. Luckily, their last two games will be against AFC West teams, who they'll pummel, to get to 11-5. Here's where the NFL tiebreakers come in. I think Carolina goes to 11-5 (explanation below) and since Tampa Bay and Carolina have identical records, the first tiebreak is head-to-head, which is tied 1-1. They're both 3-3 in the division and have the same record against common opponents. It comes down to conference records, where Tampa Bay has a slight edge (8-4 to 7-5) giving them the two-seed and the bye.

The Cardinals, blessed with playing in a cupcake division, should coast to the No. 3 seed. They'll take care of business at home, beating the Vikings and Seattle in the season-finale, while losing to the Pats on the road to finish 10-6.

The NFC North is pathetic. I still can't figure out why the Packers have decided they have no desire to take a winnable division that's completely up for grabs, but I digress.... Minnesota will lose to the Cardinals next week on the road, setting up a do-or-die game with the Falcons. I'm not sold on the Falcons on the road and I think that Minny's home field gets them the win... barely. They end with what will amount to a meaningless loss to the G-Men and grab the fourth seed (and get pounded in the first round of the playoffs).

Just remember. If Gus Frerotte can succeed in his line of work, so can you.

Carolina wins next week, gets to 11-3 and will look primed for the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. Unfortunately for them, they'll run into the Giants, who will be coming off of two straight losses to divisional rivals. The Panthers get stomped on the road and then go into New Orleans, who will love the opportunity to spoil a rival's chances at a first-round bye. They lose, and limp into the playoffs as the fifth seed.

The NFC East is having some serious problems right now. Plax's distraction, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones calling out his toughest player and Redskins coach Jim Zorn and Clinton Portis are having a cute, little catfight. While all of this is going on, Brian Westbrook has quietly gotten healthy and the Eagles are looking like the contender they were expected to be in the beginning of the season. There is actually precedent for the Birds to go on winning streaks to end the regular season, and because of all this, I see Philly winning their next three games and stealing the sixth seed. They have an easy win next week against the Browns and will follow with a W against a 'Skins team that beat them once this year (revenge game). The season-finale between the Cowboys and Eagles will decide who gets the final seed. I think it's close the entire game before a late Romo mistake punches the Eagles' ticket into the playoffs and leads to the end of the Wade Phillips era in Dallas.

Poor Wade

FOR TOMORROW: AFC PLAYOFF PREDICTIONS, WK. 15 PICKS AND UPDATED POWER POLL

All Photos courtesy of Google Images

Gripes With College Football

2008-12-01T18:57:00.035-05:00

There's a lot to love about college football. There's the excitement and emotion. There's the enormous stadiums, electric clouds and getting to watch kids who'll soon be playing on Sundays.

Did I mention the hot college girls?

But every year, there are things about college football that are so utterly stupid that it makes your head hurt. It's bad enough having the enjoyment of my Saturdays dictated by whether Penn State wins or loses. Add in the fact that the people that control college football care so much more about money than anything else, that it really hurts the game.

So with the season almost complete, and the inevitable BCS clusterfuck soon upon us, lets take a look at some of the things I hate about college football.

The BCS Continues to Ruin Our Sporting Lives
We might as well start with the hot topic in college football right now; Oklahoma playing in the Big 12 title game, giving themselves the in-road to the National Championship game. There are three one-loss teams in the Big 12: Oklahoma, Texas and Texas Tech. The Sooners destroyed Texas Tech at home, Texas Tech beat Texas on a last-second touchdown at home and Texas beat Oklahoma by 10 on a netural field.

Since the Red Raiders were embarrased in every sense of the word by the Sooners, they've pretty much eliminated themselves from the discussion. The argument for Oklahoma? They've been the second half's most explosive team and destroyed Texas Tech and Oklahoma State in consecutive weeks. Texas lost to Texas Tech and only beat the Cowboys by four points.

Quite frankly, that argument's garbage.

Texas beat Oklahoma on a neutral field. That's it; end of argument. Since there's no playoff in place, head-to-head matchups have to count more than anything. A last-second defeat in Lubbock, in what was the final game of a brutal four-game stretch for the Longhorns will probably cost them a chance at the title, while Oklahoma gets to leap-frog a team they lost to.

So yeah, the BCS kinda sucks.

(And one more thing. Why in God's name is the BCS ranking even one of the tiebreakers? How did such a terrible idea ever get accepted? I feel like if there was a meeting of Big 12 officials, and they were trying to figure out all the tiebreakers and someone said, "Hey, if it gets to the fifth tiebreaker, why don't we just let the BCS figure out?" than that person would immediately be booed, shunned and ridiculed to the point where he would have to leave the room in shame. But that's just me....)

Feel Free To Soil Yourself, It's Only Your Biggest Game of the Year
Before Saturday, there was a very realistic possibility that Penn State would have to play Oregon State in the Rose Bowl. The Beavers only had one loss in the Pac-10, and after beating USC, owned the tiebreak. They just had to win their final game - an intense rivalry game against Oregon at home - to earn a trip to Pasadena. Since Penn State played and beat Oregon State convincingly earlier this season, the scenario of playing them again sucked. I was legitimately terrified but my roommate thought that the Beavers would lose. The rationale? Every team seems to find a way to lose their biggest game of the year.

And the Beavers delivered. Big. They lost 65-38.

Every time a team controls its own destiny with an opportunity to achieve great things, they find ways to crap the bed. When Penn State was in position to get to the National Championship, they lost 24-23 at Iowa. When Texas Tech had their chance, they forget to show up against Oklahoma. Texas couldn't hold on in Lubbock. Two weeks ago Maryland could've gotten to the ACC championship by winning out, then emphatically lost to Florida State at home. Even dating back to last year, West Virginia just needed a win over a lowly Pittsburgh team at home to get to the title game, and still lost.

And after Saturday, you can probably add #1 Alabama to that list.

Enjoy it while you can 'Bama. You're day of reckoning comes Saturday.

Good Ole' Boys Run College Football
Sylvester Croom, the first black head football coach in the SEC, resigned from Mississippi State over the weekend. Mississippi State is 4-8 and just lost to rival Mississippi 45-0. It was probably time for Croom to go.

But with Croom stepping down, there are currently three black head coaches out of a possible 119 in Division 1-A football. That's ridiculous.

Fifty-four percent of student athletes and 33% of college football assistants are minorities. Of that 33%, only 13% are African-American offensive and defensive coordinators, so it's clear that there's not a terribly large pool of candidates to choose from.

But it's hard to believe that there aren't more than three qualified black coaches to lead college football teams. Part of the problem may be that alot of a school's rich, (white) alumni, that cut big checks to their alma mater's athletic programs, aren't as receptive to hiring a black coach as the school's athletic department is. Some argue that college football should institute the equivalent of NFL's "Rooney Rule," which would make it a mandatory requirement for teams to interview at least one minority candidate for every head coaching position.

That seems like a drastic change, but three out of 119? It might not be such a bad idea.

The Media's Love For Scoring and Disdain for Rational Thinking
I'm not going to argue that the Big Ten's a good conference this year. It's probably the third best conference in college football; well behind the Big 12 (the best conference in football) and the SEC (although this one's closer than you may think).

But the way the media fellates the Big 12 because of their explosive offense, yet discredits Big Ten wins because the scores aren't in the 50's is absurd. Have you ever watched a Big 12 game? They don't play defense. They don't try to play defense. They could care less if the other team scores, as long as they do it quickly so their offense can get back on the field. They don't even bother kicking field goals, because teams know that you'll need touchdowns to win.

Hey, I love points too. It's awesome seeing Michael Crabtree burn a hapless defender down the sideline for a long touchdown. Watching shootouts are exciting.

But just because a team wins 45-40 doesn't mean it's far superior to a team that wins 17-10. Put one of those fast Texas teams in 25 degree weather and snow (a common temperature for a November Big Ten game) against a real defense and it's a lot harder to break 40.

Which brings me to my next gripe....

I Don't Know if You Noticed, But the SEC Kinda Sucks
We have the media and some fans trumpeting how the SEC has so much speed. They get quick Southern burners that can fly all over the field.

The SEC has two elite teams and not much else. Traditional powers like Auburn, LSU and Tennessee are terrible. Georgia has collapsed in every big game they've played this year (including an indefensible loss to an ACC team in Georgia Tech last week). It's so bad that Ole Miss is friggin ranked right now.

I believe Florida's the best team in the country. I think Alabama is a bit overrated. Their best wins are over Clemson (sucks), Georgia (talked about them) and LSU (not what they used to be), but I give them credit for winning all the games they were supposed to. Both those teams are worthy National Championship participants.

But the rest of the Conference is a disgrace. If anyone tells you otherwise, you have permission to punch them in the face. (Just tell the person you hit that I told you you could do it. I'm sure they'll understand).

What Happens When You Match Senility with Arrogant Smugness? ESPN's College Football Show!

Can we all just agree that Lou Holtz and Mark May are the worst sports analysts out there right now? Every weekend ESPN feels the need to shove these two down our throats, in what can only be a weekly test of our sanity. May is the most arrogant D-bag on television and Holtz is like the old, ornery relative that spews angry nonsense at family gatherings that everyone tries to ignore. And someone actually thought that putting these two together was a GOOD idea?

Well, at least with them, you can count on the occasional confusing, uneducated, angry rant...

Playoffs?!?!? You Kiddin' Me?!?!?
There has been so much said, discussed and debated about this subject, that it's not even worth devoting a ton of space to talking about it. Simply put, there needs to be a playoff. College football is in no rush to change the current system and could care less if we don't like it. End of story.

But if our President-elect can use valuable airtime to pine for a playoff, than NCAA officials can take time away from counting and stacking their money and find a way to make it happen. Just sayin'.

I'll see you in Hell Bowl Championship Series

All Photos Courtesy of Google Images

Lebron in a New York State of Mind

2008-11-23T11:28:00.014-05:00

I'm not a New York Knicks fan.

As a matter of fact, I've always taken strange delight in watching the utter ineptitude that the Knicks have shown this decade. It seemed that there was no contract too big and no player too dysfunctional for New York to throw some money at. They were laughable, with unarguably the worst coach and GM in professional sports.

Unfortunately, Isaiah Thomas will be remembered for his views on
women and race relations, than for being one of the best point guards to
ever play the game.

The list of signings and trades the Knicks made in the post-Patrick Ewing era were laughable. Guys like Howard Eisley, Shandon Anderson, Jerome James, Steve Francis, Jalen Rose and the always popular, Stephon Marbury (who's worth an entire blog post by himself) showed that the Knicks had no idea how to run and manage a successful basketball franchise anymore.

What made these signings so egregious was that instead of wasting their salary cap on has-beens and nobodies, they should have been clearing salary cap and positioning themselves for a player that could arguably go down as the best basketball player ever (and that includes MJ): Lebron James.

After jettisoning Isiah out of the Big Apple, the Knicks finally started making decisions, to , ya know, actually win some basketball games. Signing Mike D'Antoni to coach in the offseason is proving to be an enormous upgrade, and GM Donnie Walsh has a proven track record of managerial success.

And after the Knicks pulled off two HUGE trades last Friday, the Lebron sweepstakes is officially back on. No one's going to confuse Al Harrington for Patrick Ewing or Cuttino Mobley for "Clyde" Frazier, but their play the next two years won't matter.

What's important is that all of the new Knicks' acquisitions will come off their salary cap in 2010. That summer, the cream of NBA's young crop of talent will be available, with guys like Lebron, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh all finishing their current contracts.

These trades have saved the Knicks $27 million in cap room, and as it stands now, they currently only have four guys signed for $24 million for the 2010 season. It's expected that the 2010 salary cap will be upwards of $64 million.

As much as I've enjoyed ridiculing the Knicks; this move was genius. And in all honesty, the NBA is better for it.

I'm sorry Cleveland fans, but it's better for the league when superstars play in the biggest markets. I'm not a Lakers or Celtics fan, but the NBA had one of its most exciting and intriguing seasons last year when those two teams were on top. It's good for the NBA to have a good team in New York. When you factor in the latest hot rumor that Nike is willing to pay King James a $50 million bonus for signing in New York, Chicago or L.A., you can see why this move makes complete sense.

And it was one thing for the Knicks to position themselves just to get Lebron, but with these salary cap dumps, New York may also have enough money to sign another one of the marquee free agents of the 2010 class. What if I told you that Lebron might be playing with Bosh or Wade in NY in 2010? Is that something you might be interested in?

It's not Cleveland's fault. Recently they've been doing everything right, by getting Lebron guys that can spread the floor and make open shots (Mo Williams and Delonte West) and the Cleveland fans have shown nothing but love for their superstar.

But the NBA is a business. Lebron is a business man. He's going to New York.

The only real question now is which New York team it'll be. It was widely believed before the Knicks recent transactions, that he would follow friend and part owner Jay-Z to Brooklyn, where the Nets will move to in 2010.

Like I said earlier, I don't like the Knicks. But I must admit, I like the idea of Lebron playing for them in Madison Square Garden. I like what his signing will do for the NBA as a whole and I like the idea of the Knicks mattering again.

Cleveland fans, enjoy the King while you can. In 2010, he'll be where he belongs.

Photos courtesy of Google Images

Appreciation for D-Will

2008-11-18T19:05:00.008-05:00

It's been nearly four years since Derrick Williams promised to take Penn State back to the top of college football's mountaintop.

It was Dec. 22, 2004. Penn State was coming off a disastrous and unprecedented two seasons, where it only managed to finish 7-16. In the previous five seasons, the Nittany Lions had four losing seasons.

Somehow, someway, Joe Paterno (and to a larger extent, defensive line coach Larry Johnson) persuaded the nation's top recruit in the country to join a fading dynasty, led by an over-the-hill coach.

D-Will wanted to come to Penn State because he wanted to win the Lions another National Championship. He wanted to be the explosive receiver that keeps college defensive coaches up at night. He wanted to be the guy that would restore the fallen legacy back to where it belonged. He wanted to show that he was the player to make Penn State matter again.

I still remember the jubilation in Happy Valley when we learned he was coming. He was athletic. He was talented. He was cocky.

He was exactly what Penn State needed.

I remember this because on Saturday, Penn State will play Michigan State in the 2008 regular season finale, and the final regular season game of D-Will's career. It'll be the last time he plays at Beaver Stadium, and the second-to-last game he'll ever play in a Lions uniform.

When I look at D-Will, I can't help but feel a little bad for him. Sure, his career stats are respectable, but he never became the superstar player that we all hoped and expected he would be.

And I don't blame that on him at all. He showed flashes of greatness his freshman season, scoring four touchdowns in just seven games, before a broken arm against Michigan robbed him of the rest of the season. During that first season, he had six plays of 20 yards or more, and flashed the speed, elusiveness and overall swagger that you would expect from a rising superstar.

That year he helped get Penn State to the Orange Bowl, and had Penn State not lost on a last-second touchdown against Michigan, the Lions may have played in the National Championship, just like he expected when he came.

Unfortunately, he never seemed to parlay that freshman season into stardom. One major reason why was that his quarterback, the now-infamous Anthony Morelli, couldn't get him the ball. It didn't help that the coaching staff seemed to never figure out how to correctly use him. And when the other team knows that there's only one big-play guy on the field, it's not too difficult to game plan for him and force the others to hurt you.

This season we got to see more of the D-Will we expected. He probably still won't be mentioned as one of the best receivers in college football, but he has shown that he can beat you receiving, rushing and on kick returns.

Most importantly, he's always been a class-act and a leader.

And that's what I think I'll remember about D-Will the most. Who knows how great he could've been if he went to Texas or Florida, where the coaching staff might have utilized his speed and athleticism the way it was intended? He could've easily went to those schools, but he wanted to come to Penn State and put the school back on top.

He never got us to a National Championship, but a win on Saturday puts us in the Rose Bowl. I think two BCS bowls in his four-year career will do just fine.

So D-Will, enjoy your final game in Happy Valley. And when you look back on your career, know that there's an entire nation of Nittany Lion fans that thank you for choosing our school.

You certainly didn't have to. But you did, and for that we'll forever be grateful.

Photo Courtesy of Google Images.

Below is my favorite D-Will highlight, his first career TD, that got us a come-from-behind victory over Northwestern. The play's at the 2:54 mark

The Inaugural NFL Power Poll

2008-11-11T20:17:00.031-05:00

This is my first post on "Flavors of Lovelace" so I feel like i should do it right. We'll start with an NFL power poll, since every other "expert" and talking head seems to have one.

32 - Detroit Lions (0-9)
I can just picture Calvin Johnson waking up at 2 a.m. every Monday morning, calling Barry Sanders and asking "Why me?!?!? Why did the Lions have to pick me?!?!" while he hysterically and uncontrollably weeps. Fun times in Detroit.

31 - Cincinnati Bengals (1-8)
I can't figure out why Marvin Lewis is still gainfully employed. Maybe they're waiting for him to resign, or maybe they're hoping he'll attempt to strangle Chad Johnson to death so they can fire him without paying the rest of his contract, but something just doesn't make sense there.

30 - Oakland Raiders (2-7)
It's hard to tell exactly when the Raiders imploded. Was it in the off-season, when Al Davis drafted a resignation letter for Lane Kiffin to sign, and he refused? Was it when Kiffin thought it was a completely reasonable idea for Sebastian Janikowski to attempt a 76-yard field goal? Was it the now YouTube famous Al Davis press conference that made him look like a mix between a grouchy, senile old man and that skeleton from "Tales from the Crypt?" Whatever it was, the Raiders really, really suck.

Al Davis is a scary-looking human being

29 - St. Louis Rams (2-7)
It was cute a few weeks ago when the Rams tried their best to be good, even winning two straight games. It was like a 3-year old reaching for the cookie jar that was just out of reach. Glad to see after last Sunday's crapfest against the Jets that they've fallen back down to Earth.

28 - Kansas City Chiefs (1-8)
Can't seem to find a way to win football games. But at least Larry Johnson, a fellow Penn Stater, has taken time off his busy schedule of spitting on women at the club, to play in next week's game.

27 - San Francisco 49ers (2-7)
I'm a 49ers fan and the last good team I've seen was when Terrell Owens was accusing Jeff Garcia of liking guys. So don't mind all of us Niners fans who are talking ourselves into Mike Singletary being the savior. Just let us have a little something.

26 - Seattle Seahawks (2-7)
I'm guessing when Mike Holmgren decided to come back for one more season, this isn't what he had in mind.

25 - Houston Texans (3-6)
Let's look at the bright side. At least Sage Rosenfels didn't attempt to leap over any linebackers and fumble the ball this time. He did have those four interceptions though. Yeah....

24 - Cleveland Browns (3-6)
I'm not sure what sucks more. That the Browns are wasting so much offensive talent, or that we're forced to watch them in primetime two more times this season.

23 - Jacksonville Jaguars (4-5)
Lions running back Kevin Smith said that during last week's game, members of the Jags were taunting him, saying "they stink." It's nice that the Jags went from a trendy Super Bowl pick in the beginning of the season, to belittling a winless team (and just a week after losing to a previous winless team, the Bengals). Keep up the good work guys.

22 - San Diego Chargers (4-5)
It's a shame that a team with this much talent has underachieved this much. Lucky for them, they play in one of the worst divisions in football (I say one of the worst, because the NFC West is fighting them for the honor) so 8-8 may be enough to get them in the playoffs.

21 - New Orleans Saints (4-5)
See paragraph above. Only difference for the Saints is that they play in a much more difficult division and conference.

20 - Denver Broncos (5-4)
I can't see them winning their division with a defensive philosophy of "if we can just hold them under 30 points, we can probably win." That won't work in December. Oh, and the fact that the best kid on your high school's football team is probably suiting up to play running back for Denver this week is probably not a good sign.

19 - Buffalo Bills (5-4)
Fattened their record up on mediocre competition early and now they're free-falling fast. Trent Edwards was getting a lot of hype early in the season. Now? Not-so-much.

18 - Green Bay Packers (4-5)
I feel like they should be better. A-Rodge ain't so bad and their defense can create turnovers, but for some reason, the Packers can't get over the hump. Favre curse anyone?

17 - Minnesota Vikings (5-4)
Gus Frerotte proves that if you can just hang on in the league long enough, you'll eventually get another shot. Remember in the beginning of the season when the Vikings didn't go after Brett Favre because coach Brad Childress was confident in Tarvaris Jackson at quarterback? Well the fact that Gus seems to throw three interceptions every week and still keep his job really shows how much confidence they still have in Jackson.

16 - Dallas Cowboys (5-4)
They're the most entertaining theater in the NFL. I was shocked when DeAngelo Hall was released that Jerry Jones wasn't immediately on the phone with his agent, offering him a six-year, 60-million dollar contract. With so much talent, they gotta still sneak in the playoffs though, right?

15 - Miami Dolphins (5-4)
It baffles me that this Wildcat offense thing is still working in the NFL, to the point where every team has some variation of it in their playbook. The Fins are pretty good, and will ruin a lot of teams chances of making the playoffs.

14 - Chicago Bears (5-4)
Sexy Rexy didn't have enough to get it done last week. Did you ever think you'd see the day when Kyle Orton means the difference between a team making or missing the playoffs? Me neither.

Does this face really look like the face of
a good NFL quarterback?

13 - Philadelphia Eagles (5-4)
They're a pretty average team. They beat up on bad teams. They hang with, but can't beat, good teams. Unfortunately, that won't get it done in the NFC East. But hey, at least the Phillies won right...?

12 - Indianapolis Colts (5-4)
They look like they're starting to turn it on. Peyton Manning needs to just stop throwing it to Marvin Harrison and focus on Reggie Wayne, Dallas Clark and Anthony Gonzalez exclusively though. After watching Harrison miss every big pass play that went to him on Sunday night, it's clear that he has lost a step.

11 - New York Jets (6-3)
Good run game, good defense, solid receivers and a Hall-of-Famer running the show. I just can't wait until their inevitable first-round exit from the playoffs after a textbook late Favre interception that goes for six.

10 - Baltimore Ravens (6-3)
I have to admit, Joe Flacco's been pretty good lately. How is Ray Lewis still awesome? He's like 57-years-old. The Ravens are top-10 material for now, but it'll be interesting to see how they respond when they play all the teams from the NFC East.

9 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-3)
I don't think Jeff Garcia can get them in the playoffs. I'm not really sure Brian Griese can either. But hey, Jon Gruden's won a Super Bowl with Brad Johnson, so I guess anything's possible.

8 - Atlanta Falcons (6-3)
I'm shocked that they're this good, and I thought Matt Ryan was going to suck when he got in the NFL. I don't know if they play enough defense to get in the playoffs, but after all that has went wrong in Atlanta, you can't not root for the Falcons.

7 - New England Patriots (6-3)
God I hate Bill Belichick. The football Gods sacrificed Tom Brady's knee for Camera-gate and for despicably running up of the score last season and he still finds ways to ugly up the game, control the clock and win. What an asshole.

6 - Arizona Cardinals (6-3)
When I studied in London, a lot of British people and other Europeans used to argue that rugby was the real man's game, not football, because their athletes "didn't play with pads." Well Anquan Boldin got his face shattered, had eight plates put in his face and came back to play three weeks later (without taking pain medicine). He's one of the best receivers in the league right now. When one of your fat rugby players play with ONE plate in their face, I'll listen to your argument. Until then, shut the hell up.

Boldin would crush a rugby player

5 - Washington Redskins (6-3)
After a hot start, they may be on the verge of fading. Clinton Portis is a beast, but now with the news that he may not play this week, the Skins may be heading for some trouble.

4 - Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3)
Why hasn't the Steelers' strength and conditioning coach been fired yet? I mean, when you're punter and long snapper are getting hurt, it's not just bad luck anymore. Haven't these guys ever heard of steroids and cortisone shots?

3 - Carolina Panthers (7-2)
It pains me to rank them this high. That performance against the Raiders last week was one of the worst I've ever seen. Four interceptions? Steve Smith needs to punch Jake Delhomme in the face.

2 - New York Giants (8-1)
The most balanced team in the league. They do everything well and, in my opinion, are still the favorite to win the Super Bowl. Their remaining schedule is absolutely brutal though, with their opponents record a combined 39-23, so we'll see just how good they really are.

1 - Tennessee Titans (9-0)
Oh how far you've come Kerry Collins. It seems like just yesterday when you were calling your teammates racial slurs. Now, people are using your name in the same breath with the letters M-V-P.

Only in the "National Football League."

All pictures courtesy of Google Images.