Categories
General Sports

Becoming my worst enemy

A very sobering thought occurred to me on the day following the dismantling of the modern day steel curtain in Pittsburgh. I was trash-talking my friend Nate, a Philadelphia native, who was telling me all of the different reasons that the Eagles will have a chance to dethrone the Pats in Jacksonville in Super Bowl XXXIX. I sat there, patiently listening to his arguments, and then responded to him, “Yeah, but the Patriots will still win.”  

At this very moment, a harsh reality hit me: I had become a Yankee fan.

Categories
NBA General

MVP Voting

As the season midway point approaches in the NBA, it seems suitable to discuss who the MVP is as of now.  In my book the candidates as of now have to be Tim Duncan, Steve Nash, LeBron James and Shaquille O’Neal. Let’s see some cases for why each player should get the trophy.

Categories
Pittsburgh Steelers

Roethlisberger a hit in Pittsburgh

It’s April 24, 2004 the opening bell to the NFL draft has rung and everyone waits in awe to see who the first quarterback taken will be.  Eli or Phillip?  How lucky is Pittsburgh that the experts, scouts, and draft day crawls were mistaken on the quarterback hierarchy?  Ben Roethlisberger is a shoe-in for rookie of the year honors and because of what he has done to make his team better there isn’t a close second.  

Categories
NBA General

NBA Power Rankings January 25th 2005

Thanks for all the support in last week’s rankings. Here’s the latest. As usual, keep the
comments and complaints coming.

Categories
New England Patriots

Who Needs Warmth? We’ve Got the Pats!

By Ryan McGowan

Recently I was driving with my parents up to Waterville, Maine, to watch my brother play basketball for Colby College.  I have never been a huge fan of the Pine Tree State.  Even with my father’s affection for the state he went to college in, the love for Maine is by no means genetic.  I don’t mind a nice Saturday afternoon drive past moose crossings and through toll booths manned by 80-year-old guys who look like they just crawled out of Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, ending up in some old factory city which the factory abandoned decades ago.  It’s kind of relaxing.  I just don’t know how anyone could ever live there voluntarily.  In fact, if not for Maine’s network of small but highly reputable colleges, I don’t know why anyone from the Lower 47 states would ever venture there between the months of September and June.

Categories
College Basketball

Why I Love Hockey

I officially love hockey. Well, not exactly.

I can honestly say that I have never watched a hockey game from start to finish, I can’t name all the NHL teams nor am I familiar with more than just a handful of marquee players; and my idea of good hockey is Emilio Estevez’ 1992 flick Mighty Ducks.

Categories
New England Patriots

True Patriot Domination

As the time ticked down in the AFC Championship, one theory that has been making the rounds in the sports world over the past two years was proved:  

The New England Patriots are better than everyone else.

Categories
Atlanta Falcons

No Heads Down in My House: Congrats Philadelphia AND Atlanta

Yes, my Falcons lost, but my head will still be high. I hope the team hangs their heads high as well

Categories
Washington Wizards

Unsung Heroes

As the NBA All-Star game nears, I start to see who is leading in the balloting, hoping to see one of my Wizards in the top 3 or 4 in voting.  So I look and I don’t see Larry Hughes or Gilbert Arenas in the top ten in guards in voting and Antawn Jamison is 6th in forwards in the Eastern Conference.  I say to myself: “This has to be a mistake!  Aren’t all three of these players averaging 20 plus points a game and at least 5 rebounds and at least 5 assists? And aren’t the Wizards having a great season?  Isn’t the combination of Larry Hughes and Gilbert Arenas the best backcourt in the NBA (points wise)?  Aren’t Larry, Gilbert and Antawn the new “Big Three”, combining to score 63% of the Wizards points?”  It isn’t a mistake, but it should be.  

Categories
NFL General

Greatness falls at hands of true legend

It’s implausible to imagine the player who broke the most coveted record in football being remembered as the guy that couldn’t win the big game. Peyton Manning bears that ugly scar. After shattering Dan Marino’s single season touchdown passing record, throwing for 49 TD passes, Manning’s legacy was almost guaranteed to be that of one of the greatest signal callers ever. That is, until last Sunday, when in three repugnant hours of chaos and confusion, it all melted away.