Podcast - NBA Playoff Predictions

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Post #6 - The Royals Year?

Another Major League Baseball Season has started and the Kansas City Royals are at it another year. With fans in Kansas hoping for signs of success, only time can tell how they will actually fair. But after looking at some pros and cons, I think I’ve come up with a fair guess.

Pros:

Last year, the outfield for the team turned their careers completely around. After being diagnosed as one of the worst pre-season outfields, they made many ESPN Top 10 plays and eventually became a top 15 outfield in the MLB.

Eric Hosmer made a triumphant debut in the pros and became a team leader within weeks. Mike Moustakas made a good debut as well and the rest of the KC minor league teams have players building up that make the future continue to look bright.

The bullpen came on strong and had impressive outings all year long. With more additions made over this off season, the bullpen looks like it will continue to do well.

Cons:

The starting rotation was almost left untouched. Obviously, the starters are one of the most important factors to the game and this puts a lot of pressure on the bullpen to be there for most games.

Injuries are taking its toll on the Royals as well. Joakim Soria and Salvador Perez are both gone to injuries and it is not quite known when they will return.

There are still few impact players that consistently kill the ball and the consistency of the bat will have to be relied on more than the power.

Estimate:

While dropping several early, the Royals will make a late season run. However, it will not be near close enough as they will finish in third place. Far chance they reach second, but unfortunately, this is not the year for the Royals to make the playoffs.

Post #5 - Bounty too high for Bounty Program?

Typically during this time of year, all NFL fans are talking about is the draft. Who will be taken first? Who will my favorite team draft? What player will make the biggest impact as a rookie? After last year’s hold out headlines, everyone was hoping to get back to the regularity of the draft. However, an even bigger headline has once again overstepped the draft and became center of attention.

                Apparently, the New Orleans Saints have had what is called a “Bounty Program” for several years. This program is a money earning system where players that purposely injure other players get paid. Also, important players for opposing teams also have money placed on them before the game so that if any player does knock them out, then that player will receive the total. It is a ruthless, merciless system that completely takes away the morality and integrity of the NFL game.

                However, the punishments for the Saints team have just been passed down, and most would consider these to be very serious if not extreme. Head Coach Sean Payton was suspended an entire year without pay. The defensive coordinator, who had just moved to the St. Louis Rams, is now suspended indefinitely. Another suspended component of the team is the General Manager Mickey Loomis, who now can have no contact with the team through the first eight games of the season. And finally, the team now faces a $500,000 fine and loses their second round pick for the next two years.

                Seems like a lot, right? Some would argue that it is not enough and a punishment like this should result in suspension of players, too. Another group would argue it is just right and that all teams will learn from this mistake. I am in the final group and believe that this punishment is too severe and some aspects should be re-evaluated.

                Head Coach Sean Payton, who has had an amazing track record through his years at the NFL, has no connection to the program at all. It is said by many of the interviewed players that the bounty program was talked through defensive meetings, in which case Payton was not a part of. Is this not America where a man is innocent until proven guilty? In my honest opinion, I see Payton completely innocent and punished for absolutely no reason.

                The other severe part is the number of draft picks taken away. I see the ability to take away this year’s draft pick. They need to punish the team somehow. But after everything they are taking away from the team this year, they are going to take away another pick next year? That is just a jab in the gut to remind the team of mistakes made in the past. Keep the punishments to this year and move on with it.

Post 4 - "What are you doing?!?!"

For anyone interested in professional football, they know the big headline free agent that is searching the market right now: Peyton Manning.

The Indianapolis Colt, the home team of the future Hall of Famer for 14 years, finally made the tough decision and held their press conference on Wednesday March 7. With the number one draft pick and the ability to pick up college star Andre Luck, the Colts were conflicted whether to keep the previously injured Manning and build the team around him or draft Luck and build from the ground up.

Manning’s stats have been matched by very few and he is arguably one of the best in football today. In his 13 year (excluding this last year since he didn’t play) career, he has completed 4,682 passes, thrown for 54,828 yards, thrown 400 touchdowns, and received an overall quarterback rating of 95.

Luck, considered to be a future prodigy for NFL football, has had a very successful college career as well. In his 3 year career, Luck completed 713 passes, threw 9,430 yards, and threw 82 touchdowns.

If we multiply Luck’s numbers by 5 to give him nearly the same amount of time played (plus an additional 2 years) as Manning, Luck’s numbers turn out to be 3,565 passes completed, 47,150 yards thrown, and 410 touchdowns completed.

Comparing them, we have to see that even with Luck’s additional 2 years (averaged) played; he still only beats Manning in one category: touchdowns by 10. Also, Luck’s numbers come from playing in college. Manning played in the entire new level of the NFL and his numbers are more impressive.

Is Peyton Manning getting old? The answer unfortunately is yes. However, with numbers continuously being put up that leave the Colts in playoff contention each year, my question is “What are you doing?!?!” You have arguably the best quarterback in NFL history and you’re letting him go! Maybe a readjustment at the managerial level need be done rather than at the quarterback spot.

Post #3 - Linsanity vs. Tebowmania

If one is a watcher of professional sports, they will see the madness that particular athletes have sent millions of fans.

It started in NFL football with Tim Tebow, quarterback for the Denver Broncos. After being the back up for the first 5 games of the season, the fans boo’d and jeered until they got what they want. Game 6, the fans cheered and roared as college football sensation Tim Tebow made his first start of the season.

After going 1-4 with Kyle Orton, Tebow led the team to a 7-4 record and a wildcard spot. Not only did he lead them to the playoffs, but he led them deep into playoffs as they were able to defeat the Pittsburg Steelers in overtime. Unfortunately, this Tebowmania fell apart as Tom Brady and the New England Patriots beat the Broncos and sent them home.

Jeremy Lin started midway through a struggling New York Knicks season. With Carmelo Anthony out due to injury, it was Lin that carried the team on his back, scoring more points through the first 10 games as a starter than any player in history.

Since he’s started, the Knicks have gone 10-3 and have became contenders for the playoffs and even considered by many sports analyst to possibly win the championship. Linsanity has ran wild on the NBA and many are wondering which is better, Linsanity or Tebowmania?

While Linsanity is hot right now, it is too early to tell where the Knicks will end up. Eventually, Linsanity could contend with Tebowmania. But, while Tebow has a playoff win, with an amazing overtime touchdown to beat what many considered to be the best defense in football. Lin is still playing in the regular season and many don’t know how far the Knicks will go. If Lin can carry the Knicks into the playoffs, then Linsanity could overtake Tebowmania.

But for now, Tebowmania reigns supreme over the land!

Post #2, NASCAR Entertains More than Promised

They’re making a left turn. They’re making a left turn. What do you think will happen next?

For those of you who answer simply with, another left turn, you may have been very surprised watching the Daytona 500 over the last two days.

Racing, a sport known for a long distance haul that lasts one day, was forced into a rain delay that caused it to be the first-ever Monday primetime audience. However, the rain delay wasn’t the weirdest factor.

Coming from a guy that never watches NASCAR to save his life, or one that could argue against the drivers being “athletes,” I could not help but be interested in the turn of events that occurred with 40 laps to go in the race.

Juan Pablo Montoya, trying to catch up to the group during a caution flag, had a breakdown in his car. This sent him into the back of a jet dryer, creating a huge fireball. The jet dryer would eventually melt onto the track and the blazing car would skid to the infield grass. By the way, no individuals suffered injuries.

This caused the race, already delayed for a day, to be delayed an extra two hours.

With so much extra time, drivers began to come together socially to have a little fun before getting back into the race. Brad Keselowski began tweeting pictures and descriptions of everything around him and picked up more than 100,000 followers during the two hour span.

Even when drivers tried to get a closer view of the damage leftover from the car and jet dryer, they were sent back to the lanes by authority. This caused irritation to the already restless drivers.

Finally, after the two hour break, drivers were back on the road ready to finish off the race. However, Carl Edwards and Kyle Busch made a mistake that put them in the back of the line for start off.

It is a rule in NASCAR that drivers and pit crew are not allowed to modify the cars in any way until the race is back under way. Edwards and Busch, though, decided to increase their visibility by removing the tearoff sheets from their windshields.

So to a regular sports fan that sees NASCAR as a waste of time with no point, they may have been surprised by the entertainment factor provided by the racing. I know I was.

Post #1, Golf Worth Watching?

               As the Golf Major Pebble Beach comes to a close, the big story comes out as Phil Mickelson comes from behind to finish the tournament with a commanding lead. However, the addition to this story includes none other than “Golf Icon” himself, Tiger Woods.

                With Woods in position to finally with a PGA Tour tournament, it was his partner Mickelson that put the pedal to the medal and Woods that dropped the ball.

                My question is – with a four day span of playing golf, how can there be such a lackluster sense of headline? Of course, the golf world will be focused on Tiger Woods and how he is doing. Seriously though, how many times will we go on talking about how everyone thinks he will win this tournament, and he fails?

                With other sports, the events will last one day. The excitement that builds up around these games is able to reach a climax that will be resolved within hours. This sense of entertainment makes people want to watch.

                Golf, on the other hand, seems to be a one of those long, dragged out speeches by that annoying guy nobody wants to listen to. Between Woods failure to win and the mystery man that picks up the win, it is just a never ending series of repeating headlines.

My idea, make golf a one day, 36 hole, winner takes all event. That way, more sports enthusiasts would take an interest in golf without having to check on it day after day, after day, after day.                

Also, finding a different character to lead the headline charge could be helpful. Find a person like Happy Gilmore that can be successful every once in a while, but entertains an audience as well.

 Six of the top eight headlines are about either Mickelson or Woods. Repetition? I think so!