Well the NHL's Lockout continues as we cross check our way into the winter months. The hopes of a full 82 game season were dashed last week as bargaining came to a screeching halt As a result an entire months worth of games will be cancelled in November. Sadly the next victim of the lockout will most likely be the winter classic, which may be the final nail in the coffin of the hopes of successful 2012-2013 season. The winter classic has served has one of the best promotional tools for the NHL's product. It's become a majestic way to usher in the new year. In fact, I believe in recent years it has surpassed the Rose Bowl in terms of must see sporting events that take place on New Years Day. From Fenway Park, to Pittsburgh the winter classic has been wildly successful and had become one of the driving forces in the rejuvenation of the NHL in recent years. This year was set to be one of the biggest classics yet as the University of Michigan was slated to host this years event. The amazing sight of one of the NHL's premier events being played in the Big House would have taken the Winter Classic to new heights However, like the rest of the NHL Season, we are left with the negative connotation of what would've been. Last year with the NBA in it's lockout the NHL garnered vital momentum which carried through out the season. One would have thought the NHL would have learned from the NBA's mistake last season. Not to mention, the NHL is in it's second lockout in under a decade. With most high profile players making good money over seas, there does not appear to be a deal that can end this lockout anytime soon. Sadly, we may be in danger of missing an entire season of hockey once again, which could be a fatal blow to the passion of NHL fans nation wide. - Joe Passarelli Tomorrow is the opening night on the 2012-2013 NBA season, and I don't know about you but I am pumped. As much as the start of football season marks the start of the greatest season of sports, the start of the NBA season is by far my favorite event within that season. The season is opening with the Boston Celtics vs Miami Heat. Miami is fresh off winning the NBA title last year, and after acquiring Ray Allen from the Celtics. Boston is off a good season which led to a team with an older roster making it to the playoffs, but with all the injuries that the team suffered throughout the shortened season they were not able to do much more then make the playoffs. This season Miami boasts a even better roster then last year with names like Ray Allen and Rashard Lewis, and is picked as the overall favorite to repeat as NBA champions. Boston revamped their roster with Jason Terry and Leandro Barbosa, and not to mention that they now have a healthy Avery Bradley and Kevin Garnett. They look to take back control of the Eastern division, and were named as Miami's biggest threat in the east by Dwayne Wade during a recent interview on ESPN. I believe that Miami will just be too much for the Celtics and will show their supremacy as the overall best team in the eastern division and maybe the entire league. The late game of the opening night and the second of the double-header is the Los Angeles Lakers vs the Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers probably have made the most talked about off-season moves acquiring Dwight Howard and Steve Nash, and in trading for Dwight they let go Andrew Bynum. They have looked great in the pre-season with Dwight getting back to his old self as the NBA's top defensive player, and Steve Nash doing what he does best leading the offense like the court general that he is. The Dallas Mavericks had a very disappointing season last year, and with the recent injury to team pillar Dirk Nowitzki things are not looking up thus far for the Mavericks. They did however acquire OJ Mayo and Elton Brand who are dominant scores, and when Dirk is healthy should have a decent offensive attack. My pick for this game is by far the better of the two teams which is the Los Angeles Lakers, who are picked as the favorites out west to make the NBA finals this year. This should be a great year to watch the NBA as there are many exciting stars in the league this year from college, like Anthony Davis. I hope everyone is as pumped as i am for this season. -Coach- The San Francisco Giants finished off the Detroit Tigers with four straight victories to claim their second World Series Championship in three years. Detroit's dynamic offense failed to ignite, as they were outscored 16-6 over the short series. I guess too much rest is not a good thing... On to the Hot Stove Season!
In a classic pitching duel, the San Francisco Giants were able to outlast Detroit to take a 2-0 lead in the Fall Classic. Both Bumgarner and Fister took shutouts into the 7th inning until the stalemate was broken, setup by a timely bunt-single from Gregor Blanco. The Series now travels to Detroit for Game 3, scheduled for Saturday at 8 PM, with Ryan Vogelsong facing off against Anibel Sanchez.
We have come to the midway point of the 2012 NFL season. Already we have seen who were the dominate teams in the first half and who still needs some work. That being said, we look to see now teams trying to gear up for what would be an 8-game stretch that could determine whether they get into the postseason. Also this week we have the 6th annual NFL London game being played over in jolly Ol' England as well as the trade deadline for all teams. That being said, let's get on with the picks. Interesting Picks: Sunday 1:00 p.m. Washington Redskins @ Pittsburgh Steelers As of right now, Robert Griffin III is the most prolific offensive rookie out there. He can keep defenses on their heels, whether it be throwing the ball (1,601 yards, 70.4% Completion Rate, 7TDs, 3INT) or by running the ball (64 carries for 468 yards and 6TDs). He also leading a Redskins offense that's 5th in scoring (28.7ppg), tied for 4th in total offensive (406.3), and 1st in rushing (177.7 ypg). That being all said, the Redskins are going up against a 'pass-happy' Steelers offense that's 6th overall (282.2 ypg) and the Redskins are dead last against the pass (328.4 ypg). Combined with a hostile environment along with a hostile Steelers defense, RGIII will have a big day but the rest of his team won't. Pick: Steelers New England Patriots @ St. Louis Rams in London, England This is the 6th game that will be played in London England and the 2nd time the Patriots have played there, winning 35-7 back on 10.25.09 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That being said, things can go either way at this point. The Patriots have of the the top offenses in the NFL, 1st in scoring (31.0ppg), total offense (436.1 ypg), 1st Downs (29.0 pg), and in the top 5 in passing and rushing. The Rams on the other hand are 27th in scoring (18.6 ppg) and total offense (315.1 ypg) and have very few offensive weapons. But switch it around on defense and the Rams outperform the Patriots in total defense, scoring defense, rushing defense, and defiantly in passing defense. Also this is a Patriots defense who allowed Mark Sanchez last week to not only throw for a season high 328 yards but complete 68.3% of his passes, and this is the same Sanchez who could barely sniff over 50% completion coming into the game. Expect the Patriots to rely more on their offense moreso than before in this game but don't be surprised if it's closer than you think. Pick: Patriots Sunday 4:25 p.m. New York Giants @ Dallas Cowboys Since the New Dallas Cowboys Stadium opened up in 2009, the Giants have posted a 3-0 mark. Coming off a much needed 27-23 divisional victory over the Washington Redskins, the Giants are looking to avenge their 24-17 loss at the beginning of the season to the Cowboys. The Cowboys are without LB Sean Lee (who just recently went on IR with torn ligaments in his right toe) and possibly will not have RB DeMarco Murray (left foot sprain) for the game. Losing Murray could hurt the Cowboys' offense as he rushed for 131 yards against the Giants in Week 1. Though the Dallas secondary was able to shut down the Giants passing game, this was because WR Hakeem Nicks was yet to be at full strength. Now with Nicks close to 100% as well as the emergence of Domenik Hixon, Ramses Barden, and the ground and pound of Bradshaw-Brown, expect Big Blue to win their second divisional game. Pick: Giants Sunday 8:20 p.m. New Orleans Saints @ Denver Broncos If this game was on Monday Night, John Gruden would die a happy man. You have two of the top 10 quarterbacks going at it. Brees and Peyton Manning haven't faced each other since Super Bowl XLIV on 02.07.10 when the Saints beat the Manning-led Colts 31-17. Not to mention that Brees has played up at Mile High before during his career with the Chargers from 2001-2006. Though that will be the more dominating story line for this game, one aspect that gets overlooked is that the Saints are dead last in rushing the ball (76.2 ypg) as well as second-to-last in defending it (161.0 ypg). Denver will ride on RB Willis McGahee for the most part, which will then allow Peyton to easily pick apart on the 30th-ranked pass defense in the NFL (304.5 ypg). It'll be close shootout but in the end, the 'Sheriff' will get his man. Pick: Broncos Monday 8:30 p.m. San Francisco 49ers @ Arizona Cardinals This is another crucial divisional game that is being played this weekend. The 49ers are coming off their 13-6 sluggfest victory over the Seattle Seahawks and while the Cardinals lost to Buffalo in OT 19-16. While both offenses of each team are mediocre at best, their true strength is at defense. You got the number one overall defense in the 49ers (272.3 ypg) going up against the 7th overall defense in the Cardinals (312.1). Alex Smith needs to be careful as he's going against the 4th best passing defense (191.3 ypg) as well as a team that has intercepted quarterbacks 8 times already this season. But unfortunately for the Cardinals, they have given up the most sacks (35) and against a sack-hungry 49ers defense, it's not going to be pretty. Pick: 49ers The San Francisco Giants, aided by 3 Pablo Sandoval home runs, were able to get past Detroit's Ace Justin Verlander in Game 1 of the World Series 8-3. Game 2 is scheduled for Tonight at 8:00 PM; Detroit will send veteran Doug Fister to the mound to try to even the Series against the Giants' youngster Madison Bumgarner.
The first brick has been laid along the Boston Red Sox' road to redemption. In a move that had been widely anticipated and speculated, the Dark Hose have found a skipper: their former pitching coach, John Farrell. Farrell, who has been managing the Toronto Blue Jays for the past two seasons, was released from the final year of his contract in exchange for infielder Mike Aviles. Toronto also sent RHP David Carpenter to Boston in order to complete the move. After a failed one-year experiment with Bobby Valentine, this move seems to be a return to a familar structure. While John Farrell's Canadian tenure did not yield any postseason berths, he posted a record of 154-170, very similar what the much more talented Sox squads produced (159-165) in that same span. Also, the behavioral issues that arose among the Boston pitching staff seemed to appear shortly after Farrell's departure as Sox pitching coach. Hopefully, since he has much of the the team's respect, Farrell will able to use his disciplined approach with out the resistance that Bobby V incurred. This rebuilding effort will be long road, but the Sox are seemingly off on the right foot. -Kevin Aherne We are inching closer to the midway point of the NFL season and then we'll figure out who is for real and who is just a pretender. But after looking over at the upcoming games this week, you got 6 games with divisional rivals going at it, including 3 games where winner takes the divisional title for the time being and another game where it could be. Interesting Picks/Games Thursday 8:20 p.m. Seattle Seahawks @ San Francisco 49ers As much as people want to think it's like USC vs. Stanford because of the coaches (Carroll and Harbaugh), just ignore that crap. You got a Seahawks defense that's 4th overall in total yards allowed (294.7 ypg) and 2nd in points allowed (15.5 ppg) against a 49ers defense that's 1st overall in total yards allowed (275.8 ypg) and 3rd in points allowed (15.7). It's going to be a low scoring affair but the key factor in this is location as it's in San Francisco and Seattle's is 1-2 on the road. Expect them to go to 1-3 at the end. Pick: 49ers Sunday 1:00 p.m. Washington Redskins @ New York Giants This is an important game the Giants must win. They're 0-2 in divisional play and playing an opponent that swept them last year. The Redskins are not only tied for 3rd with the Giants in scoring (29.7 ppg for them both), they also are 2nd in rushing yards (166.0 ypg) due one RGIII. But on the defensive side, the Skins are dead last in passing yards allowed (328.3 ypg) and they're pittied against the 5th best passing offense (289.7 ypg) in the league and going against an offensive line that has not allowed a sack in 3 consecutive games. Not to mention that the Giants are getting back starting DT Chris Canty, whose return is much needed at this point. Expect the boys in blue to get a much needed win against a divisional opponent. Pick: Giants Baltimore Ravens @ Houston Texans Injuries have devastated this Ravens' defense. As much as people are crying about the loss of injury to MLB Ray Lewis, they forget the Ravens lost CB Ladarius Webb for the season to an ACL tear and their All-Pro DT Haloti Ngata has a sprained MCL and may not play Sunday. Coming off an embarrassing 42-28 outing at home last Sunday night against the Packers, the Texans are looking to avenge that loss and prove that they are still contenders for the AFC. Look for them to keep a Ravens offense that's 8th in yards (385.0 ypg) off the field by just pounding the rock with the Arian Foster-Brandon Tate combo. Pick: Texans Sunday 4:25 p.m. New York Jets @ New England Patriots If this was in New York and the Jets had Holmes and Revis then this could go 50-50. However both Holmes and Revis are on IR and it's at Gillette. All week everybody was harping on the Patriots' defense (especially their secondary) but going into this game, they're going against a Jets offensive that's 30th in total offense (295.5 ypg), including 30th in passing (184.3 ypg). If Belichek was as smart as people around here say he is, he'd attack a Jets run defense that's ranked 28th (allowing 150.5 ypg) with his own 4th ranked rushing offense (going 152.3 ypg). As the old saying goes 'Winning cures all ailments' and that would apply here. Pick: Patriots Last week we saw two incidents involving fans taking their passion for the sport to disgusting levels. From a disgusting display from an irate Atlanta Braves fan base over a blown call, to fans cheering a player receiving a head injury in Kansas City, the events of last week made me personally sick to be a sports fan. The saddest part is these type of classless situations seem to be part of a growing trend as sports fans. In last weeks Atlanta Braves vs St. Louis Cardinals, MLB was hoping for a dynamic moment to happen. That dynamic moment came in the scene of beer cans and garbage showering Atlanta's Turner Field delaying the game for twenty minutes. In a game for what was supposed to be remembered as a final goodbye to Atlanta's Chipper Jones, will now go down in infamy was one of the most disgusting displays this side of Steve Bartman. It's true that umpire Sam Holbrook made one of the worst calls in MLB playoff history with his infield fly ruling. However, to delay the game for close to 25 minutes by the worst display of fans throwing garbage since Hulk Hogan joined the NWO was simply uncalled for. It truly sucks that the Braves and their fans were on the receiving end of this bad call, but at what point does conducting yourself like a rational person go out the window? The only thing brave in Atlanta was the player, coaches, and even umpires who finished the game after this display of ignorance This past Sunday on The Kansas City Chiefs vs Baltimore Ravens game we saw yet another display of ignorance by the fans attending the game. Matt Cassel took a bad hit that resulted in him being carried off of the field due to a concussion. The fans at Arrow Head field cheered as Cassel was helped off of the field and his backup Brady Quinn went into the game. Even chiefs players spoke out to the media after the game as to how disgusting the fans actions were. In the last few years we have witnessed other disgusting fan behavior from a fan getting stomped nearly to death at a Dodgers vs Giants game to gang violence at preseason games between the 49ers and Raiders. Bottom line we are seeing new lows at these sporting events. Sports is supposed to be about taking your kid to the ball game, not getting loaded and resorting to the low of cheering an injury to your quarterback or showering the field with garbage. - Joe Passarelli |
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