2011 Team USA-Based Gold Cup Preview

*Disclaimer - All responses to the following questions were typed up before the Canada - US match but due to logistical problems, the post was not completed until afterward. Keep this in mind.

Sunday, the 2011 Gold Cup commenced in Cowboys Stadium with Costa Rica blasting Cuba 5-0. It will conclude with the championship game on June 25th in the Rose Bowl. This once every two years tournament crowns the CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football) champion, and in this case, clinches a spot for the winning team in the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup. The first prize is a nice pat on the back kind of award, but the second is even more vital for the United States National Men's Team. Though CONCACAF is typically known as the weakest world region (excluding Oceania), this tournament is the closest US fans will get to important international competition for the national team until World Cup qualifying matches start in 2012. So, with this in mind, we've brought in three soccer minds, varying from somewhat knowledgeable to quite knowledgeable and asked them questions about the Gold Cup and the US squad.

Border Wars Eh(?), Red Hot Red Birds, and Tied Championships: A Crazy Night in Sports from Buffalo Wild Wings and Beyond

I knew it would be a good sports night at BWW for several reasons. One, Terrelle Pryor had just left Ohio State which I enjoyed thoroughly. I won't have to watch people over hype him this year, thank goodness. Second, a girl noticed my Minnesota Gophers hat and we had a nice, short conversation about the Land of 10,000 Lakes. Third, it was Wing Tuesdays. And so it began.

One of the perks of watching an event at BWW, besides the obvious ability to watch several games at once, is that you can see people's reactions and tell if something good or bad happened in a game. I used this to my advantage as I originally had to focus on the US-Canada Gold Cup match and couldn't divert as much of my attention to the Cardinals game as I wanted to, due to soccer's non-stop pace. So I designated the guys sitting next to me, who were enjoying a nice wad of dip throughout the game, as my "Cardinals-o-meter." They were there for the baseball game. Since both of the games got underway at 7:05, I had double action immediately. The NBA Finals weren't on until 8, so the three headed monster wasn't in effect just yet.

As the match began, the waitress took my order, and I began furiously scribbling notes in a spiral notebook I had brought, making me look like quite the nerd in my US Michael Bradley soccer jersey and my Minnesota hat. But if you aren't at BWW to watch sports, why come? The US owned possession in the first half, making runs down the flanks, challenging Canadian defenders and connecting on passing sequences with surprising ease. Obviously, Canada isn't the most talented side, but the confidence the US showed was a good sign and an encouraging beginning to the Gold Cup.

Meanwhile, Berkman went yard on his former team and the Cardinals took a 2-0 lead in the 1st, only to be counter-balanced by a Carlos Lee homer in the bottom of the inning. 2-2 and tracking...

All the chances and hard work paid off for the US from an unlikely source, as Jozy Altidore handled a nice ball from none other than Landon Donovan, showed his strength in holding off his defender, and snapping a quick shot to beat the goalie under his arm pit near the near post in the 15th minute. While the ball was quite saveable, it was still a nice showing from Altidore and good to see him get a goal. Originally, the field turf of Ford Field worried me, because the US had difficulty adapting to the turf some Central American teams use during the last cycle of World Cup qualifying but it doesn't seem to phase the Yanks too much. The midfielders are working well together, providing balls down the flank and connecting in the middle for efficient ball control. The only true trouble for the US came in the form of a ball with eyes struck by De Resario from outside the top of the box, only to be just wide of the target. And though it took him about 25 minutes or so, Agudelo seems to have found his footing and was involved in several nice chances on goal.

By the time the soccer game hits halftime, Jake Westbrook has hit a three run double (?!?!?!) and Game 4 of the NBA Finals has commenced. Sadly, Allen Craig left the Cardinals game in the first inning with some sort of knee injury and the guys beside me are up to their elbows in wings. Mine are about a fourth finished and I'm on my third Mr. Pibb. The waitress has realized I'm in this for the long haul, has stopped checking on me, and only comes by when she knows I need a refill. This is excellent because I hate sitting their with them asking, "Can I get you anything else?" And me having to reply, "No thanks I'm good," while I'm thinking in my head, "Yes, I know I'm freeloading these channels that I don't get in my apartment off of you. Sorry."

The Heat-Mavs looks like another back and forth battle from the very beginning as Dirk hits his first three shots, only for the Heat to rally via Chris Bosh. Eventually, the shooting percentages get sort of ugly, the defense somewhat solid, and the game very intense. But more on that later.

The second half opens slightly differently as Canada looks a bit more dangerous. They get into the box with less difficulty than before but real chances are still sparse. However, for the first time in the match they are beginning to make me very nervous. Sadly, my boy Bradley picks up his 137th stupid card in his international career in the 51st minute, but that could just be an approximation. He then redeems himself with a beautiful seeing-eye cross to Altidore, which he proceeds to whiff on with his head, screwing Mikey out of the praise he rightfully deserves. This is followed by Dempsey trying a "reverse bicycle kick" on a dipping cross which he almost completes in spectacular fashion. I yell in glee then disappointment and several people stare at me, as if I just punched them in the face. Sorry I'm a patriot.

The Mavs and Heat continue their battle of attrition and I look briefly at it in time to see Tyson Chandler nut on Joel Anthony's face with authority. That guy kind of scares me.

I shoot both of my arms into the air as the Son's of Sam net their second goal of the match in the 62nd minute via a nice grounded cross by Altidore, ever so slightly tipped by a sliding Agudelo in the middle of the box, and finished on a nice sliding goal by Clint "I run this town" Dempsey. He proceeds to tap the flag lightly and salute the crowd while people at BWW proceed to wonder what game I'm getting so excited about, as the NBA and Cardinals game are both at commercial. Pay attention to soccer people, it's the "beautiful game" and when you do, you seem slightly less uncultured to European people. What's not to like?

No score change has occurred in the Cardinals game and the NBA game rarely fluctuates away from a 4 point deficit for either team in the early going. Meanwhile, I can't finish all 24 traditional wings I have ordered so it looks like I'll have lunch tomorrow. Holler.

Tim Howard shows why he is a world-class keeper in the 85th minute when he saves a point blank range shot in traffic, the Canadian player falls over him, he then rushes to get up as the ball isn't cleared of danger, it finds the foot of a Canadian attacked who proceeds to launch a half-volley towards the top of the net which Howard reaches to save with reflexes like a jungle cat (jaguar, puma, leopard really which ever one you prefer). I let out another yelp in disbelief. Oops. I feel like a jungle cat in a zoo being starred at through bars. With the final whistle drawing near, Westbrook is in a bit of a jam. He puts two runners on with one out in the bottom of the 6th, then Theriot makes yet another error on the season and they are loaded with just one away. Jason Motte enters, gets the next batter 0-2 and proceeds to drill him. Not good. Luckily he settles in strikes the next batter out, and retires the side with a harmless grounder. 5-3 Cards going into the seventh.

Heat-Mavs is at halftime with the Heat up by two in a game that could kindly be classified as ugly. While no one has stood out, besides possibly Tyson Chandler and Chris Bosh, the close score makes all those non-partisan observers still interested and will probably keep ratings high. With a lull in the action, I exit BWW to rush home to see the end of both the Cardinals and the Finals games.

Luckily, I get back in time to see Pujols go yard again, with it being so bomb-like it is almost reminiscent of his homer against Lidge in Game 5 of the 2005 NLCS. Furthermore, Theriot extends his hit streak to 20 games on a last-chance ninth inning at-bat with a double, knocking in an insurance run. Simultaneously, the Heat are blowing another lead to the Mavs, who seem to love playing from behind. While LeBron has mysteriously disappeared and Dirk is playing with a fever (not even cowbell could cure this one), Wade is hogging the spot light and a scrappy supporting cast is keeping the Mavs relevant in the game.

As Salas closes out the game for the Cardinals, allowing a harmless run in the ninth, the final 6 minutes of Game 4 is underway. The Heat officially give away the lead and Dirk, with help from Terry and Stevenson extend their new found lead to six with 1:53 remaining. While I continue to search for LeBron like he's Waldo, Wade misses a game-tying free throw with 30 seconds left. Baskets are exchanged, Terry makes clutch free throws, and then a strange play consisting of the ball bouncing off Wade's leg, him lunging to stop the back court violation, tossing the ball to Miller, and ole Gator Mike air balling the following three leaves me wishing the game had gone to overtime and extended my self-enforced bedtime.The Mavs have tied the series and this puppy looks like it's headed towards seven games. Awesome.

Sadly, the crazy sports' night is over. I'm still looking for LeBron, though I feel good about the direction of the Cardinals (four game winning streak) and the US team (defeated their toughest Gold Cup opponent until probably the semi-finals with relative ease). As my wings sit in the refrigerator waiting for me to eat them at work tomorrow, I can't help but think this is why I love sports. I was entertained from 7-11 PM all by myself. And though it may seem sad to the onlookers, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

****Funny things I didn't mention: JJ Barea started?!?! Cobi Jones cannot be taken seriously in studio with his hair. Sorry I can't do it. There was a large anti-Heat contingent at BWW that constantly heckled them even though the game was occurring about 1000 miles away.

Killer Kool-Aid?

Before the beginning of this Cardinals' season, a lot of fans were in a bit of a panic mode. Adam Wainwright went down for the season, we signed an aging veteran to a one year deal to attempt to shore up our outfield, and the Reds just seemed like some sort of Red Machine Redux in the eyes of the media and the citizens of Cincinnati. Honestly, I can say I wasn't overly worried about them competing. The baseball season is 162 games long. Anything can, and will, happen in that time span. I can't say I picked the Cardinals to win the Central but I thought they would be competitive as ever. My initial prediction was a close three-team race between the Brewers, Cardinals, and Reds, with the Brewers winning at the end of the season. The main point is, sometime between when I knew enough about sports to make semi-educated predictions and becoming an "adult" (graduating college) I stopped guzzling my teams' Kool-Aid with reckless abandon.

And Now For Something Completely Different

My co-editor and I love sports, which should be fairly obvious due to the fact that we keep churning out lengthy posts and podcasts even though there are five people who read: us, our mothers, and the occasional sucker who somehow accidentally comes across this blog in a Google search entry like "Justin Beiber" or "NFL Draft". But another thing I really enjoy and am fascinated with is movies (or as a friend of mine would say "films"). Bleedblue is into movies but not quite to the extent that I am. However, we have still discussed at great length movies we like, why we like them, and argued about what qualifies as "good" and "bad". Anyways, what I am trying to say is that there will be times when I may make a post or two about movies. This is a disclaimer to our regular readers. If you don't care about movies, first of all SHAME ON YOU. (Kidding, but not really.) Secondly, you can just skip over my fairly superficial analysis of film if you so choose. It's nothing special but I know there are a lot of people out there who like movies and enjoy a nice discussion. So I'm just to giving you a heads up and introducing the first ever completely movie-related post on DRD!

Who Knew A Sweater Vest Said So Much?

I always hated that stupid sweater vest. I even told Jim Tressel in person once. Back in 2007 at the Metrodome, when my Golden Gophers were preparing to be sacrificed at the altar of the Buckeyes in a Big Ten Conference game, our slgihtly one-sided conversation went a little like this:

Me yelling from the front row at a few Ohio State coaches (including Jimbo) and straggling players passing the student section during warmups: "Hey Tressel, your sweat vest sucks! Does your mother still dress you?!"

Tressel: Turns around with raised eeybrows and a troubled look.

Honestly, I think he agreed with me. He just didn't want to give up all the advertising money he was getting from the 25 or so sweater vest shops that had set up camp around the Ohio State campus and surrounded the Horseshoe. Either that, or he really wanted to exude the good-guy persona he had so successfully fronted as the Ohio State University Head Football Coach from 2001-2010.

I say fronted because apparently, contrary to the seemingly pristine condition of OSU's football program and Tressel's image, he was just as dirty as John Calipari in a pigsty. And while this may be an over-exaggeration and it may be that Tressel himself did very little wrong and is just taking the blame for several players' wrong doings, he is still a guilty party in the ever-disappointing landscape that is currently major NCAA sports. And so I will take my frustration about this landscape out on him, one, because it is a current sports story, and two, because it just goes to prove that no seemingly squeaky clean program is ever really clean of NCAA violations.

First, I should preface the rest of this post by saying that I've always harbored a sort of distaste for Tressel, Ohio State football, and Tyrelle Pryor. Don't ask me why, all three have just rubbed me the wrong way. Tressel always seemed like he might be hiding something in that scarlet vest, OSU football always seemed to be spoiled beyond belief for no reason (and sometimes their fans quite unbareable), and Pryor always seemed like he thought he was the cat's pajamas even though he has played about two good games against good teams in his collegiate career. So, if I'm being honest, I am enjoying every minute of this fall from grace. I will enjoy watching OSU suffer under any punishment the NCAA finally does hand out. I will hope beyond hope that some how, some way, my Gophers can beat those stinking Buckeyes during a time when their program might hit a low point. I hope they get dozens of wins erased and their conference titles are tarnished forever.

You may wonder why I seem so harsh and almost heartless. It's because I am so sick of college athletes and coaches believing that for some reason, they are above the rules and regulations set forth by their governing body. People may sympathize with the athletes and say that the NCAA makes billions of dollars off of their hard work and effort, with them getting very little in return. And that makes me mad.

My response to that is that the NCAA uses a lot of its money to sponsor scholarships for lesser sports, the sports in which the future doesn't contain 8-digit paydays and massive advertising dollars. My response to that is that players choose to play sports, choose to go to college to do so, and really only have to behave themselves for two years (one in the case of basketball) before they can go their merry way into professional paydays. My response is that a college education, free room-and-board, and all the free gear and other amenities athletes get is a pretty good "payment" if you ask me. You know what other people your age are doing when you are getting catered meals and free Gatorade? They're studying their asses off to keep academic scholarship so they can finish school and one day become a doctor. Some people work two jobs to pay their way through college. They don't get time to party on weekends after the big game like I'm sure Pryor did. And sure, it's a small minority of college athletes who go on to be professional athletes with big salaries, but aren't those the only people with major NCAA violations?

I know someone will come back with some snide remark or some example of a small school with a miniscule athletic budget with several violations but that person would be missing the point. I understand the time and hard work the athletes go through. I had a semi-recent discussion about the five Ohio State players who got in trouble for selling their memorabilia with a former Divison I-FCS football player. This was obviously someone who wasn't going to get the kind of a attention that a Buckeye football player might get, making his perspective a unique and interesting one. He was sympathetic towards the players because he knows that the system is broken. He acknowledged that the NCAA and the schools get to make millions of dollars while the players don't really see any of that money. And he had some good points about the system and its flaws. There are people who can't afford college, use the athletic scholarship to get in, and still need money for food, living expenses, and other ammenities that the scholarship doesn't necessarily cover.

I can symphatize with those people because they were dealt a uneven hand. But if they complete their education, they can get a degree, get a job, pay back their loans if they needed to take any out, and be thankful for the opportunity that college gave them and the chance they got at that opportunity just because they could do something with a ball or a stick or their legs not many other people could do.

So I don't have any pity for Tressel or the players who broke the rules they agreed to follow when they accepted their scholarships. They knew what they could and could not do but they did it anyway. Rumor has it, Pryor was always driving around in different expensive cars, flaunting his status as big man on campus at clubs and VIP rooms, and basically proclaiming himself bigger than the game of college football and the campus which gave him an opportunity to play. And this is what aggrivates me the most. The ungrateful personality of a lot of college athletes who have been given such great physical skills and who believe its their right to a superior life than others.

I don't want to go on too much of a soap box rant because I'm generally quiet laid back. I love sports because they are fun, can be extremely informal, and if we're just talking about the field of play and nothing that goes on outside the games, don't really contain any great moral dilemmas. I wish the college game didn't have to struggle with these problems of dirty programs and corrupt practices. It takes away from the pure passion that is college athletics and give fuel to the fires of those who like to say athletes are spoiled and sports aren't important in the grand scheme of things.

I hate to see stories like Tressel's come out of the woodworks. It isn't good for anyone. While I may have seemed harsh on the Ohio State program earlier, I still wish it hadn't happened. I feel sorry for a dad of one of my good friends, who's favorite team has been tossed into a disconbobulated heap. I feel sorry for the Ohio State players who have done no wrong who have to deal with the media coverage. I feel sorry for the old-timer alumni because their beloved team has fallen under a dark cloud.

Most of all, I feel sorry for sports. You may say I'm a dreamer, but I wish rules violations, pay-for-play scandals, and tattoos weren't something we had to read about when we quickly scanned the headlines of Sports Illustrated or ESPN. I wish the game were clean, the NCAA system perfect, and the only thing that mattered were those kids putting their hearts on the line in arenas, fields, and rinks across the country. But sadly we live in the 21st century and it's not the case. I just hope that out of this mess we learn an important message.

Never trust a man in a sweater vest.

NBA Finals Game 1 Diary

7:59 Here we go folks. The moment we've been working towards for a month and a half. The NBA Finals are finally upon us. So obviously that means I should make a running diary while tracking the game. And there are story lines galore. LeBron. Dirk. Age. Youth. Good. Evil. Besides the Lakers playing the Celtics, I think this match up has the most story lines of any other. I'm excited to watch.

8:03 Mark Jackson, Mike Breen, and Jeff Van Gundy are on the broadcast. I never really understood how Van Gundy has a job because most of the things he says are strange. And Jackson usually disagrees. It's kind of entertaining but also slightly distracting during telecasts... 59-61 Dirks free throw makes and attempts in the last series. That's gross. That's filthy. That makes me want to throw up in my mouth it's so dirty.

8:07 Wow. A Tim Tebow commercial. Most of America just groaned. Kind of made me chuckle.

8:08 Tip off and Bosh draws a quick foul on Chandler. Bosh makes both. Important to note the Heat have not lost at home in the playoffs. Joel Anthony is guarding Dirk. Solid first effort the Heat draw a 3-second violation.

8:09 If Lebron is making that fade away, this could be a quick series. He looked like vintage Garnett or Duncan on it. Dirk answers on the other end. The guy has the eye of the tiger in these playoffs.

8:11 For some reason, I haven't seen Wade make a really explosive play in a few games... I wonder what happened in the Chicago series.

8:12 Dirk is going to the line for the first time. If he gets to the line enough during this series, the Mavs chances of winning will increase significantly. Him at the line is like free points. Seriously, I know they're called free throws but with Dirk, that might as well be. He's the anti-Shaq... If Bosh can hit the mid-range consistently, the Mavs are screwed.

8:14 Could the Heat have made the Finals if I replaced Mike Bibby on the roster? I'd say we would get 10:1 odds or so.

8:16 Wade should DOMINATE Kidd. Bosh makes a put back. Seriously, Wade should destroy Kidd. I feel like he's saving something but for what? This is the FINALS!!!!!!!!!!

8:18 This is Lebron's series. It needs to be. He needs to put up quadruple doubles. He needs to destroy the Mavs morale. And on a steal and and-one, he's starting off quite well. First commercial and the Heat are up, 10-5, which is promising considering the Heat have been starting slow in a lot of the games in these playoffs. The home court will probably push them to come out quick. Mavs need to withstand the original athletic charge by the Heat if they want to have a chance in this game.

8:21 Van Gundy gushes on the Heat's defense. And pretty much rightfully so, they've been good. And as I type that Kidd hits a three. Which is something he needs to do, especially when they are as open as that one just was... Meanwhile Bibby is laying bricks. Luckily Wade makes a great cut and no harm done for the Heat. Kidd hits another three. Like I said, an absolute necessity.

8:24 Joel Anthony leaves with his second foul. Dirk on the bench. Both could be important for the immediate future. Mavs only down 1.

8:27 James hits his first three attempt of the game. I know it's repetitive but if he can hit those, it could get ugly quick. Still, Mavs only down 4 and have avoiding letting the Heat go on a run. A combination of close-in misses and solid defense have kept the game pretty low scoring thus far. 2:04 left in the first quarter.

8:29 Big fan of the Budweiser commercial about the guy coming home from active duty. Say what you will about beer commercials, but this one they got right.

8:31 Jason terry knocks down a contested three to bring the Mavs within one. And the Heat turn the ball over. Ensuing possession the Heat give up an offensive rebound but Kidd throws the ball out of bounds. Some so-so basketball being played right now.

8:33 Lebron picks up a questionable second foul. Mavs go up by one for their first lead of the game. James misses on the other end and the Mavs get the last shot, which is miss by Peja. Somehow, the Mavs are up one at the end of the first, but Lebron leads all scorers with 8 which is a good sign for the Heat. I hope he just takes the game over, one, because I want to see the best player dominate on the biggest stage, and, two, I want to watch him and Dirk trade shots and just slug it out. That would be awesome.

8:39 Bosh with a surprisingly sick put back dunk. He's had a very solid game so far. Dare I say it, a great game? Meanwhile, Terry hits his second three. He wants this as bad as Dirk does because removing that tattoo would be quite painful. Miller answers on the other end. Back and forth they go.

8:43 Wade still not playing very well, Dirk hits two free throws (what else is new), and the Heat come up empty on another possession.Without Lebron the team is obviously missing something, even with Wade on the court. Heat down one going into commercials.

8:50 Lebron is coming back into a tied game at 6:54. I suspect the Heat might go on a bit of a run here. Just a hunch... And James and Bosh operate a good pick-and-roll. Bosh gets to the line and makes one of two. Marion backs Miller down awkwardly and still makes an ugly shot while James makes a good back cut and scores on the other end. Offense on both sides is picking up ever so slightly. Miami up one as we go to another commercial... Speaking of commercials, is it wrong that I kind of want to see Cowboys & Aliens? Do I get my ability to critique films revoked for that?

8:59 Not a good sign when Wade is being stopped by Kidd on the baseline. Very troubling to me.... Then he hits a three. I'll put my foot in my mouth (er, my hand) now... Dirk drives and scores, Bosh hits another deep jumper off a pick and roll and the Heat are looking to take control of this game with solid defense and ok shooting... Wade and James now both have two fouls, though since it is almost half time, concern levels aren't all that high just yet.

9:04 Dirk hits a three with a hand in his face to bring the Mavs back to within one. That was a big shot for them to avoid falling behind by too many points near half time. Wade drives and loses the ball again. Seriously, not playing too well... Meanwhile, Dirk comes back and hits that one-legged fade away for five consecutive points. He is too good. And they follow it with a great pass sequence leading to a dunk. Quick 7-0 run ended by a Chalmers three-pointer. The action is getting quick now. Which is evident by a oop-and-one to Tyson Chandler, giving the Mavs a three point lead.

9:08 Terry hits another three after another offensive rebound for the Mavs. An answer by Mario Chalmers on the other end as he hits from the left corner.... Dallas loses the ball with 5.9 left in the half. Let's see what the Heat will do...

9:10 Lebron dished to Miller for an open three... which he missed. Bosh with a good first half. Dirk being Dirk, and Jason Terry with a few important threes to keep the Mavs ahead by one going into the half in a defensive-minded game, 44-43.

9:14 In other sports news, the Cardinals have made a spirited comeback against the Giants in the bottom of the eighth inning sparked by a Pujols double (very good to see) and some great hustle by Skip Schumaker. Awesome to see the Cardinals are capable of making noise in the late innings offensively.

9:24 And Salas holds on for the save in the ninth. Good stuff.

9:29 Second half about to get under way. My quick analysis. I think the defense was good on both sides but there were a lot of open looks that ended as bricks. While Wade did get some buckets, I still feel like he's holding something back. If Kidd is guarding him, he should be going to the basket with authority every time. Meanwhile, Bosh had the most points of the "Big Three" which is a very promising sign for the Heat. I think that even if Wade disappears, if James and Bosh are palyign well, the Heat can still prevail. Dirk was Dirk for the most part in the first half which is obviously a necessary ingredient for the Mavs.

9:32 Here we go... And Chandler and Marion work very well together for the first bucket of the half. Mavs up three.

9:33 Dirk swishes a shot from the top of the key, Lebron misses a layup on a drive, and Stevenson makes a three to force the Heat into a time out. The Mavs are hot out of half time and take a quick 8-point lead. The Heat have to be careful not to get too far down because digging out of a big deficit against this experienced and smart Mavs team could prove difficult, especially if Dirk can continue to get to the free throw line.

9:37 The Heat come out of the time out with Wade making two acrobatic plays making me question whether I should ever type a negative thing about him ever again. The transition by Miami on the steal was very impressive... And Dwyane misses the free throw (he's currently 0 for 3)... Van Gundy just referenced Liar Liar. What the heck?

9:39 Shawn Marion currently has 11 points and 7 rebounds... I feel like he did this completely silently. Very, very sneaky man.

9:41 Lebron hits a wiiiiiiiiiiide open three. He literally took a dribble set and popped just the way he likes it. If he didn't make that shot his NBA legitimacy would have been immediately revoked... Haywood gets about 4 inches off the floor and is stuffed by the rim on an attempted dunk. He's an NBA player? I'm confused right now.

9:44 JJ Barea just attempted to make a layup over Chris Bosh... Let's just say it was ill-advised. Shawn Marion makes a fade away jumper in the lane to keep the Mavs ahead four. I'm starting to get confused as to why Lebron doesn't touched the ball on every possession and why Haslem and Chalmers are taking shots for the Heat because that is not a formula for success...

9:47 Haywood's free throws are really hard to watch. Some where between old videos of Wilt and recent videos of Shaq.

9:49 Just as Mark Jackson states that the Heat need to work their offense through Wade, he bricks a contested three. I'm not going to say anything bad about Wade anymore, but it was kind of funny.

9:55 Tyson Chandler makes a very athletic play on a half alley-oop. I'm impressed by how well the Mavericks individual parts do their job. I'm also impressed by Lebron's current three point percentage of 100 (3-3). Puts Heat up 1 with 1:12 left in the third quarter.

9:58 Dirk makes two of two free throws (shocking, I know). The Heat then use the last shot of the quarter to let Lebron showcase his transcendence. A fade away three from the right side swish to go up four at the end of the quarter. The man is on a mission. 4 for 4 from three

10:05 Mike Miller hits a three from the corner to put the Heat up 5. If the role players can hit those open shots, the Heat shouldn't lose this game.

10:08 Right now the Mavs and Heat are shooting, 37 and 36% respectively. I thought this was the NBA Finals not the 2011 NCAA National Title game!

10:09 JJ Barea is 1 for 8. The mighty mite not having as much success against this Heat defense as he did against the Lakers and Thunder.

10:13 Wade hits an elbow jumper to push the Heat's lead to eight... But Stevenson comes back and hits a three for the Mavs. This ending could be really good. Maybe as good as the ending of The Shawshank Redemption... Who am I kidding? Nothing tops that.

10:16 Bosh to Haslem for the AND one. Good pass work by the Heat to get a good shot though it happened because Dallas gave up a few too many offensive rebounds. Those will kill you down the stretch. Just ask the Thunder or the Bulls.

10:22 Dirk isn't quite hitting the shots that he hit against the Thunder and that could be the difference tonight. But there is still four and a half minutes left for the Mavs to attempt to erase the 5-point deficit. It's going to require more Dirk heroics though to overcome the determined Lebron and the rest of the Heat.

10:28 Wade hits a ridiculous shot at the top of the key to put the Heat up seven. And Shawn Marion answers with an AND one backing down Miller. Bringing the Mavs to within 4... Bosh makes two free throws after a nifty Lebron pass and it's a six point game.

10:31 I guess Dwayne wanted to permanently shut me up and never doubt him again because he just made a sick block and sunk a contested three in Jason Kidd's face to push the Heat lead to 9 with 3:06 left. I'm sorry I ever doubted you Wade. I'll go cry in the corner now.

10:35 OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOH MY GOODNESS. LBJ just blew past two defenders, yacked so hard the ground shook, and drew the foul. I had the same reaction to that play that the color commentary guy has when the Flint Tropics introduce the alley-oop in Semi-Pro. He also made the free throw... Dirk answers with a jumper. Mavs down 8 with 1:43 to go. The crowd is starting to feel a victory. Not over yet though.

10:38 Dirk continues to make his free throws, 12-12 for the game. His free throw shooting is as reliable as Charlie Sheen's drug habit.

10:40 Chalmers makes two free throws and time is running out on the Mavs... Kidd misses a three and Wade runs ahead through three defenders, passes to Bosh, who dunks and basically ends this game and sends Dirk and the Mavs to a 1-0 deficit.

10:43 Wade drives, tosses it up to the middle of no where (seemingly) because he was just staring at his defender, and Lebron skies in and jams it home. Sick play. Kind of like Eric Jones on Webster Groves circa 2005. Exclamation point for the Heat.

10:46 The game ends 92-84. The Heat just outlasted the Mavs in a bit of a slug fest. One key stat: Dirk was 7-18 from the field. He shoots like that against the Thunder, the Mavs don't win that series. Wade shut me up with a 22-10-6 stat line. Lebron did his thing with a 24-9-5. Bosh was respectable with a 19-9-3. And the Heat's bench outscored the Mav's bench, 27-17. That's probably the difference in the game. But really, it was the basic contain of Dirk (his free throws basically made up half his points, 12), the tenacious team defense of the Heat, and the fact that they made shots when they needed them (Lebron's key threes and Wade stepping up in the fourth quarter). People might have to start getting used to the thought of the Heat being NBA Champions because if they keep up what they did tonight, they'll be hoisting that Larry O'Brien Trophy a lot sooner than most would prefer.

I'm out for tonight. I hope the next few games go more down to the wire but this game was a pretty good back and forth with some entertaining plays. Remember to check out the Stanley Cup Finals starting tomorrow, for the sake of the NHL's ratings and John's sanity.

NBA/NHL Finals Podcast

NHL Playoffs: Yes, This League Still Has Problems Edition

Hey again. I'd like to welcome myself back from a near month long, Simmons-like hiatus from writing. Sorry to all, got mixed up with the whole finals/summer is finally here thing. Mark wrote enough for 4 people anyway so glad to see the ship isn't sinking. Anyways..

If you’re not an NHL fan, well that’s not surprising. The NHL has been in the backseat of the car that the NFL has been driving for a while now. The NBA and MLB seem to take turns in the front depending on who calls shotgun fastest, while the MLS is stuffed in the trunk. As for tennis and golf, well they seem to be drug along something like this.

As an NHL fan myself, I cheer not only for the Blues but the league to do well. I wanna see game highlights on espn and amazing goals in the top 10. I want the league to generate revenue, expand, gain interest and become basically what the NFL is now.

Will the Real NBA MVP Please Stand Up?

The 2011 NBA Finals are set. Dirk's back might need multiple major surgeries after carrying his Mavericks to the franchise's second NBA Final. The most hated team in the league keeps chugging along like the well-oiled machine it was intended to be. And the post-season has magnified several questions I had about the MVP voting when the results came out.
I better give you a warning before I go much further, but I'm about to delve into some controversial stuff. If you know a lot about the NBA, you might not agree with me. The MVP was given to the wrong guy. Now, bare with me here. Forget about the preseason drama and the formation of the Galactic Empire in South Beach. Forget about any biases you might have towards one player or another, favorable or unfavorable. It would seem difficult but since I don't cheer for an NBA team and I just recently got re-interested in the game, I think I am the perfect candidate to unleash an unbiased account of how the MVP Award went down.

First, let me preface the discussion by eliminating a player many thought to be a contender but I believed did not have nearly the same kind of season as the other candidates. That player is Kobe Bryant. Though the Lakers had a successful season and Bryant is obviously a majority factor of that success, I don't believe that Kobe was consistent enough throughout the season to be considered an MVP candidate.


Therefore, I believe the race should have been narrowed to five individual who all were very successful and significantly contributed to teams with a winning record and a Top-4 spot in their respective conferences. Those players are Derrick Rose, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Howard, and Kevin Durant. For a quick comparison of some superficial and not-so-superficial statistics for the previously mentioned players, see the chart below.

The chart gives us an idea of how well the MVP candidates stacked up next to each other. The colors indicate where they finished in that given statistical category in comparison to the other four players being considered. Ties were not dropped to the next place, hence, for example, in blocks, there are three 3rd place finishers, all tied with 0.6 blocks per game.

Let me first explain some of the last few columns. PER is a player efficiency rating created by John Holliger of ESPN.com that incorporates most normal statistics into a massive formula that assesses how valuable and efficient a player is. It not only tracks points but field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and defensive statisitics. Furthermore, it subtracts for things like turnovers, missed shots, and personal fouls. Its not a perfect statistic by any means, but its something to think about in analyzing these players. With this in mind, the second column of PER numbers is the average of the given player's top 10 teammates (teammates with the 10 highest PER values which played at least 41 games). Basically, a stat that states how good their teammates were.

There are several things we can take away from this chart. One of which is the only player in the top three in all categories is James. The only category he was lower than second in was blocks. The player with the top PER is also James. And speaking of PER, the teammate PER analysis brings about some intriguing results. While Lebron still had the best individual teammate in Dwyane Wade, his team still had the second-lowest average PER. Rose and Durant both had pretty solid supporting casts throughout their season, although it would be fair to acknowledge that there were times when injuries had decimated the Bulls and Rose was playing with either Joakim Noah or Carlos Boozer (or on the rare occasion, both).

Also interesting to note is that Dwight Howard had the most statistical first place finishes within the chart. His defensive prowess cannot be ignored and it shows through his lead in blocks and rebounds. Possibly the most telling statistic in the case for Howard is the miserable average PER for his team (12.66). The Magic have been known, as a whole, as laughable on the defensive side of the ball. However, Dwight actually single-handily makes them respectable in many team oriented statistical categories. The Magic would have been no where near the 4-seed in the East without the massive contributions of Dwight.

But let's get past the statistics for a bit and comment on what one could see just by watching these guys play every night.

Derrick Rose is obviously a athletic freak with movements so violent and astonishing that he might be considered a once-in-a-lifetime talent. We should all consider ourselves lucky we get to watch this guy for probably the next 14-15 years. He would, at times, carrying the Bulls and will them to victory by himself late in games. He did lead a team that was an 8-seed to become the team with the best record in the league. And this is why he was voted by the press (almost unanimously) as the MVP. However, I don't really agree with that assessment. Rose was great this year. And there were times when he was playing almost by himself due to injury. And there's no question that the Bulls would probably be no where without him, but he wasn't doing it completely alone. Carlos Boozer and Joakim Noah were both every good players this year and Luol Deng is certainly no slouch. And while he got 113 of the possible 120 first place votes, he wouldn't get mine.

Dirk Nowitzki reflects a type of player we may never again see in this league. The mobility and incredible shooting touch of this 7-footer is fun to watch and continues to become history as the Mavs march through the playoffs. The oldest team in the league, the Mavs are full of experienced players who have been around the block a time or two and who know how to handle a NBA regular season. But Dirk doesn't really have that second scorer on his team. He is the person every scouting report is keying on night in and night out and he still delivers the goods every time. He's an efficient scorer without hogging the ball. He gets to the free throw line and makes them at around a 90% clip consistently. He knows his game, where his spots on the floor are, how his teammates work, and is always looking for ways to win at the end of a game. However, he didn't quite have the statistical resume as some of the other candidates and while stats aren't the only thing to consider, they still matter. Leading this "too" veteran team to 57 wins was very impressive, but considering a large portion of this roster has been there before, it is hard to consider Dirk the most valuable player.

When first glancing at Kevin Durant, one wouldn't imagine him being all that good, let alone a deadly shooter. That gangly 6' 9" frame doesn't seem too threatening but you better not give KD space or he will make you pay. His ability to score points in a hurry is certainly a quality that is envied by teams across the league. He was the face of the young gun OKC Thunder. Only his fourth season in the league and he was taking a team full of 25-and-unders to near the top of the Western Conference. While his supporting cast may have been quite young, according to PER, they were the all-around best group of players out of the five teams discussed. I think its fair to say that Durant is incredibly valuable to the Thunder franchise, but I also think there is a lot of young talent that blossoms around the former Longhorn. It is for this reason that I don't believe him to be the MVP of the 2010-2011 season.

The final two candidates I would say are probably equally important to their teams, but since one had overall better statistics and their team ended up being more successful, I would say he is more deserving. The Magic are, as a team, pretty atrocious defensively. However, Dwight Howard's presence actually makes them rank decently in several defensive categories. Without Howard, the court wouldn't open up for all those poor defenders to shoot their open three-pointers either. Some of this is displayed in the extremely sad average PER for Dwight's teammates at 12.66. And Dwight was also the most effective scorer due to his ability to get to the free throw line and his overall lack of missed shots. But some of this can be contributed to the fact that Howard doesn't attempt too many shots from outside about 7 feet. And the Magic did end up being 4th place in the East, and losing in the first round of the playoffs. So the luster on some of Howard's numbers have been recently tarnished.

And it is for this reason (a little hindsight) the statistics, and the overall effect that he has on his team mates and every game he plays in that I believe LeBron James was the 2010-2011 NBA MVP. The Heat are a completely different team this year with the addition of James and Chris Bosh. While people might want to contribute the rise in wins to the fact that the Heat have a "Big Three", think of 40% of the people that are on the court. Along side Wade, James, and Bosh was usually the corpse of Mike Bibby, the hapless Carlos Arroyo, mediocre Mario Chalmers, or the sluggish Zydrunas Ilgauskas. And this team still won 58 games. While Wade had the highest PER of any teammate of the above mentioned players, the top 10 players on the Heat besides James still averaged a lower PER than any other team. James has dominated in every statistical category this season. He scored, he set up his teammates, he rebounded, he played great defense (1st Team All-Defense this year), and he drastically changed the landscape of the Heat's dynamic. Yes, he had one of the top 6 players in the league accompanying him throughout the season, but then explain to me how James still nearly equalled Rose's assist average playing forward or how he out-rebounded all the candidates except the center, Howard. James was efficient with the ball in his hands going for 51% from the field, 76% from the line, and a very respectable 1.95 assist-to-turnover ratio.

While I understand the case for Rose, I can't understand why he received 113 out of the 120 first-place votes. There is no reason the difference should have been that drastic. LeBron had an incredible season, led his team to a very good second-half record, and now has them sitting in the Finals. Obviously, the playoffs have no bearing on any of the regular-season awards, but I think it just goes to show how obviously valuable James is. Last year, the team was losing in the first round to the Celtics 4-1. Now they sit at the precipice of winning a title after winning three straight series 4-1, two of which were against very good teams. I think, looking at the voting, it is fairly obvious that not only do basketball fans resent LeBron for what he did, but so do the voters. And I don't think that should factor into the equation. While they didn't plan it like LeBron and Dwyane apparently did, Jordan was always playing along side Scottie Pippen in each of his MVP seasons. Pippen has been labeled by many around the game as one of the best defenders of all time and he was a more than capable scorer. Why was there outcry against Jordan's candidacy? I don't think LeBron is as good as MJ but I think the two situations are pretty similar.


LeBron may have been wrong for how he went about his "decision" but that doesn't take away from his transcendence amongst the other players in the league. I know he may have been crowned a king way too early, I know he's been given the MJ comparisons way too often, and I know he's playing along side one of the league's best, but I'm sorry. James was not only the best player, he was also the most valuable.

Beware of the Brew Crew

Tell me if you've heard this before:

"The Reds are going to win the National League Central."
"The Reds have great young pitching. All of their starting pitchers are quality."
"The Reds have the best lineup in the league. Every position in their order can hit for power and there is speed everywhere."
"The Reds blah, blah, blah, they're better than the Cardinals and any other team in the Central and will walk away with the division."


After the first almost two months of the 2011 baseball season, I think a few comments are safe to make about the above statements I either read or heard during the off season. One, the Cardinals aren't going anywhere anytime soon. They have compiled a 30-21 record (as of May 26th) without their ace pitcher and with the most consistent hitter in the game going through a strange slump which includes him batting about 68 points below his career average and grounding into more double plays than the fat guy in that old school little league baseball game on the original Nintendo. Two, the Central division is, once again, relatively weak contray to those who thought the Pirates would be solid contenders. They just don't have the pitching yet. Combined them with the completely unwatchable Astros and the hapless Cubbies and the lower tier of the division rivals the NFC West in disgrace to the sport factor. Three, this division isn't going to be a two horse race. I've said it since they acquired two good pitchers in the off season and I'll say it again: the Brewers are going to be at or near the top of the division come September and the Cardinals and Reds better be on high alert.

That's right Cardinals fans (and I guess Reds fans, though I don't think any Reds fans have been reading this), you better beware of the Brewers. They have won 6 games in a row, taken 2nd place from the struggling Reds, and have a healthy starting rotation. I've been telling my fellow co-writer/editor that the Brewers were going to be a factor in this race even before the season started because of the additions of Greinke and Marcum, both of whom were moving from the AL into arguably baseball's weakest division. And while Greinke really only has one year of stellar pitching on his resume, I don't think many people doubt he has the goods to be a highly successful major league pitcher. Shaun Marcum, who was stuck in the pitcher's worst friend, the AL East, for the first part of his career, finds himself in an extremely favorable situation as reflected by his current stat line: 2.37 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, 6-1 record, and a 4.13 K/BB ratio. Meanwhile, the assumed ace of the staff going into the season, Yovani Gallardo, is finally finding his groove after a rough start, posting a 4-0 record with 29 Ks, 1.66 ERA, and 1.00 WHIP in his last four starts. The front three of that rotation would eat up any lineup during a three-game series.


The biggest threat right now to the Brewers being a serious competitor come September might be their inability to win on the road. With a 8-17 road record in the first two months of the season, doubters could certainly point to this stat and say with confidence Milwaukee won't be there when all the chips are on the table. However, I think they have the pitching and the offense to compete with the Reds and the Cardinals, regardless of their atrocious start away from Miller Park. Defense could be one of their major concerns but its currenlt hard to fault a team on defense when the Cardinals look like an 6th grade little league team every other game in the field and are still 9 games above .500.


The major reason I believe in the Brewers ability to compete for the season's entirety is because they have two established stars in Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder (one of whom is playing for a contract), solid 2nd-tier contributors in Rickie Weeks, Casey McGehee, and Corey Hart, an above average front-end of their rotation (as discussed earlier), and a respectable (though not perfect) closer in John Axford. These are all the components contenders USUALLY have and utilize to make a run at a divisional title.

Now, obviously, the Cardinals and Reds might have something to say about it. I merely wanted to point out that this is no longer a Cold War of two superpowers (a la the USA and the USSR). The NL Central has become a three-headed hydra headed for possible self-destruction. Head-to-head games will play a key part in the deciding of the divisional champion. And as we saw last year, the ability to destroy the weaker teams in the division may be the most important part to the championship equation of all. And though I honestly can say I know somewhere in between very little to nothing about Brewer's manager Ron Roenicke, I can safely say I trust him over Dusty Baker. And this is where Cardinals fans may find the most hope. The massive strategical advantage they have in the dugout with Tony LaRussa at the helm.

If the race comes down to the last few weeks, the managerial advantage will become most evident. If this is the case, barring any major injuries, I foresee the Cardinals winning the division. However, there are still a lot of games to be played between now and then. I just wanted to give a heads up to Reds and Cardinals fans alike.

Watch out for those beer-loving Wisconsonites and their hops happy franchise, because Miller isn't the only thing that's brewing in Miller Park these days. A divisional race is as well.