The Basketball Universe has been inclined to see Phil Jackson’s NBA coaching career as one of, if not the, greatest in NBA History. Fortunately, it just isn’t so. Although it may seem like he has an impeccable coaching philosophy that continuously leads his teams to the game’s grandest stage, the shroud of luck falls on to his legacy, and I am proud to say that I will be the one to make sense of it all!
Every now and then we are surprised by greatness. Usually it comes from redundant people and we expect it: from Tiger Woods and Tom Brady, Kobe Bryant and Albert Pujols.
Sure, these people don’t always succeed, but when we see their greatness, we can only admire it.
Seasons come and go in today’s sports world, as do predictions and opinions. I, for one have made my fair share of, well, incorrect predictions.
I said the Celtics’ big trades for Ray Allen and KG would not amount to a title, and only cripple their franchise down the road. And quite frankly, those things both could still very well happen.
I also predicted the Packers would meet the Indianapolis Colts in the Super Bowl, with Green Bay prevailing, sending Favre off into the sunset with one last championship.
Obviously, the New York Giants ended that thought.
But what would sports be without competition on top of competition? That’s why we write about, argue about, and watch these games. That’s why fantasy sports is so compelling.
We get to compete without actually ever working for it. Some might say, however, that there is a lot of work that goes into it. And if it’s not work, it’s at least knowledge combined with intelligent guesses.
I know what you’re thinking. That’s what Vegas is for.
But I’m willing to let the dice roll, to be damned if I’m right or be damned if I’m wrong.
So, without further hesitance, here are my 25 bold predictions for the 2008 NFL season.
The Phillies are having a great season, currently leading the National League East Division. People around the city of Philadelphia are starting to think that this could be the team that ends the 25 year wait for another championship in Philadelphia.
As the Mets limp home after an awful 2-5 West Coast swing–including a four-game sweep by the lowly Padres–the calls for Willie Randolph’s managerial head will undoubtedly get much louder. Unfortunately, it’s really not his fault. Willie is no Miller Huggins, but he’s a solid game manager who relies heavily on his veterans. And as last September proved, these overpaid “clubhouse leaders” are not to be relied on. You would think that throwing the NL East into the toilet last season would teach them a lesson. It didn’t. Unless Willie Randolph and general manager Omar Minaya make some changes, this last season at Shea Stadium will go down as the worst in Mets history, which is really saying something. The main culprits in a bad group: Billy Wagner, Carlos Beltran, and Carlos Delgado.
Now that Isiah Thomas has been outsourced in Europe the Knicks can get down to business. Below is the memo in its entirety.
Madison Square Garden
Two Pennsylvania Plaza
New York, NY 10121-0091
TO: Donnie Walsh, President of Basketball Operations
FROM: Brendan Suhr, Director of Player Personnel
Patrick McDonough, Director of Accounting
David J. Cohen, NBA Basketball Consultant
DATE: June 3, 2008
SUBJECT: Saving the Organization
________________________
Revenue sharing, salary caps and the vision of a few men many years ago has turned the NFL into the most popular sport in America.
The Pistons just finished their 6th straight Eastern Conference finals and for the 3rd straight year they find themselves on the outside looking in. They are the dynasty that isn’t; the team with the great run that was just short of greatness. Now everyone wonders if this is the end of the journey.
Honestly, Major League Baseball is so stubborn when it comes to change, but that may be about to change.
A profession set so deep in its ways that a bitter woman is more prone to change her view of men. Yeah, it is that bad especially when we live in an age where technological advances have made life easier. Not just everyday living, but sports as well with the NFL, NBA and NHL, which have all implemented instant replay to get the call right.
There will be a lot of gambling done on Belmont Stakes Day: millions of dollars will be won and lost at tracks all across the country. But the biggest gamble will be taken by the sport itself. Barely a month after the death of Eight Belles, racing will go all-in, betting on the injured hoof of Big Brown and hoping for the big score every bettor wishes for.
The satisfaction of that score has already diminished; Big Brown’s story is not as heartwarming as local legend Smarty Jones’s, nor is his trainer a big ol’ teddy bear you can root for. There are no Frances Genters to accept the trophy if he wins; Big Brown is owned by what is basically a hedge fund of investors. And then there is the issue of his sore feet; the quarter-crack he currently has may not be a big deal to his connections, nor to his doctors, but it is a news story that scares the bejeezus out of most of the folks that will tune in to ABC on Saturday.
What if he breaks down?