SportsDabbler

NBA

Shaquille O’Neal is now a Boston Celtic. I can not think of anything more pathetic. Shaq is clearly on the downside of his career and has been the last 3-4 years and I’m sure his ego is eating him alive that Kobe Bryant has more rings than him. As a result, he keeps chasing after other superstar players, going from team to team to chase that coveted fifth championship ring. At the veteran’s minimum, it is a good value pick up for the Boston Celtics. Despite how mediocre he is right now, Shaq does bolster the Celtics’ inside presence and will allow Boston to strongly contend for the Eastern Conference Championship again this upcoming season. He will provide a big body inside that can alter shots in the paint which is something they will need against a Miami Heat team that I suspect will make their living in the paint. We will see how this experiment works out as the season progresses.

NFL

The Brett Favre Saga part three or four or whatever number it happens to be is in full effect. I used to love Brett Favre as he was one of my favorite quarterbacks ever but this crap that he seems to pull annually was getting tired after he left Green Bay and the media gives it a ridiculous amount of attention. I’ll end the speculation right now. He is coming back, it is a foregone conclusion. He pulls this nonsense every year so he can avoid training camp without overtly saying “I don’t want to practice in the summer.” He would much rather stick to his own workout regimen which is to pop Vicodin, workout on his Bowflex machine, do Wrangler commercials and play pickup football with his family members in Mississippi. Well we all know he is coming back but I strongly doubt he will able to repeat the type of season he had last year which happened to be statistically the best season he has ever had. Yes, he is an iron man and will not miss a start but at his age it is inevitable that he will wear down at season’s end going into the playoffs and throw that costly interception at the end of the game that ultimately ends his team’s championship hopes. Well good luck Brett, you will get your 500 touchdown passes, 70,000 passing yards and you will add to your everlasting interceptions record, but you will not win a championship. Do us all a favor, do not comeback after the end of this season!

MLB

First off, I would like to congratulate Alex Rodriguez for hitting his 600th home run yesterday even though he used steroids for three years. Despite the steroids use, hitting 600 home runs is a rare feat, as only seven players have accomplished it. Well now that I have gotten that out of the way, the AL East race is heating up at the right time. The New York Yankees have stood alone by themselves at the top of the AL for quite some time this season and that all changed when the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays were each able take two out of three games against the Bronx Bombers in consecutive series. With Tampa losing last night and New York winning, they both are tied at the top of the standings. Enter the Boston Red Sox, who sit 6.5 games back behind the Rays and Yanks. They enter a pivotal four game series on Friday in the Bronx and if Boston has any chance of making the playoffs they better perform well. The Yanks will have Javier Vazquez lined up against Clay Buchholz. Vazquez is getting into form at the right time as the Yankees prepare to enter the playoffs and Buchholz who has been Boston’s best starter all season. The Yankees have their work cut out for them against Buchholz as he enters the game with a 2.59 ERA. If Vazquez wants to keep the Yankee faithful on his side after his disastrous start to the season he better show his mettle against Boston because if he has a bad start tonight he will be showered with boos.

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What’s up everyone? The Sportsdabbler is here to bring you its way-too-early AFC contenders list. I was waiting to release this because I was expecting a certain AFC contender to sign a certain disgruntled WR and it happened last night with the Cincinnati Bengals signing former Buffalo Bills wide receiver Terrell Owens. This move instantly upgrades a Cincinnati passing unit that had a less than stellar year by their standards or at least by Carson Palmer’s standards. Well let’s get down to it, shall we?

1. Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts are the reigning AFC Champions and again should be one of the favorites to earn the AFC’s spot in the Super Bowl. Led by four time league MVP Peyton Manning, the Colts have been one of the most consistently excellent teams in the league for the last eight years and have been a legitimate Super Bowl contender in each of the last five years culminating in two appearances and one championship. The Super Bowl last year was decided on two plays. Of course, the onside kick recovery by New Orleans and the pick-six by Tracey Porter which sealed the game. However, in that game, New Orleans had no problem stymieing a normally stout Colts pass rush because of the foot injury sustained by Dwight Freeney. In an effort to bolster their pass rush, with their first round pick, the Colts drafted DE/OLB Jerry Hughes from TCU. Hughes fits the Colts’ old status quo of selecting speedy but undersized defensive players. Hughes was an elite pass rusher in college and will see time this season as a situational pass rusher for the Colts. If the Colts can improve their poor running game and restore some balance to their offense they just might be the first AFC team to return to the Super Bowl after a loss the previous year since the Buffalo Bills in 1993.

2. New York Jets

My second biggest contender for the AFC title happens to be the runner up in last year’s AFC Championship game, the New York Jets. The Jets, by far, had the best offseason of any team in the NFL. After fielding the league’s best defense last year, they somehow upgraded a very talented defensive unit by trading for former Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie and also using their first round draft pick on cornerback Kyle Wilson from Boise State. In addition to their secondary upgrades, they signed former Dolphins and Redskins DE/OLB Jason Taylor to improve their pass rush. On the offensive side of the ball, they signed former Chargers running back, LaDanian Tomlinson to bolster their running back depth behind rising star Shonn Greene. They also traded a fifth round draft pick for former Steelers wide receiver Santonio Holmes who will be serving a four game suspension to start the season. With these upgrades alone, the Jets look legit on paper. However, I think the Jets will only go as far as QB Mark Sanchez’s arm will take them. With the new toys on offense, it should make his job that much easier. I expect the defense to be as strong if not stronger than last year’s unit and if Sanchez matures this team will challenge the Colts for AFC supremacy.

3. Cincinnati Bengals

My third contender was very tough to choose. It was between two AFC North teams but with the recent signing of wide receiver Terrell Owens, the Cincinnati Bengals get the nod. After winning their division last year, the Bengals made their first playoff appearance since 2005 when Carson Palmer suffered a catastrophic knee injury. Since then, the Bengals’ franchise quarterback has sustained a litany of minor injuries and by his standards had a sub par year last year. In an effort to boost their passing attack, the Bengals selected talented tight end Jermaine Gresham from Oklahoma with their first round draft pick. With the signing of Terrell Owens, Carson Palmer should have enough weapons to have a stellar year and one that we are used to seeing from him. This team is not built on offense alone as they have one of the best cornerback tandems in the league with Jonathan Joseph and Leon Hall. They also boast a young and talented linebacker corps as well. With DE Antwan Odom returning from injury, that should only improve their pass rush as well. When Terrell Owens is motivated he can be one of the best playmakers in the league and with a great quarterback throwing to him and another pro bowl wide receiver opposite of him, he should have plenty of motivation. If the improved running game from last year shows it was not a fluke, the Bengals will be a very tough team to beat.

4. Baltimore Ravens

The other AFC North team I was alluding to is not the Pittsburgh Steelers but I am sure you already knew that. The Baltimore Ravens who crushed the New England Patriots last year in the playoffs return a very strong team lead by one of the best running backs in the league in Ray Rice as well as strong-armed signal caller Joe Flacco. The Ravens rode Ray Rice all the way to the playoffs while Flacco was more of a game manager than playmaker. I can not fault Flacco too much as he really did not have many weapons in the passing game. Well that changed this offseason as the Ravens traded for wide receiver Anquan Boldin. While Boldin is a not a blazer, he’s one of the most sure-handed wide receivers in the league and should definitely improve a mediocre passing attack. On the defensive side of the ball, the Ravens seemed to lose a step last year and with Ed Reed out for the first six weeks this season, the defense will have a tough time regrouping. In order to help bolster the defense, the Ravens drafted a couple of defenders with their first two picks. They selected DE/OLB Sergio Kindle from Texas and NT Terrance Cody from Alabama. If Cody can drop some pounds and pass his conditioning test, the Ravens could have the biggest defensive line in the league when you consider DE Haloti Ngata is 345 lbs. With their offseason moves, the Ravens are in good position to challenge Cincinnati for the AFC North crown.

5. New England Patriots

My last contender is a team that should never be considered down and out. That team is the New England Patriots. Led by star quarterback Tom Brady, along with the Colts, the Patriots have been one of the most consistently great franchises in the league over the last seven years. The loss of WR Wes Welker last year right before the playoffs proved to be costly as Wes Welker is one of the key cogs in the Pats offense. Going into this year, I have to admit that I am little bit skeptical about New England. Tom Brady had a typical Brady year but considering the year before he broke all types of records I expected a bit more. I guess you can blame it on the knee injury but he insisted it did not hamper his play. The Pats have been undergoing a youth movement on defense as many of their aging veterans have been traded or released. With their first round draft pick, the Pats selected CB Devin McCourty from Rutgers. McCourty is a physical corner with solid coverage skills and is ideal for the Pats’ man coverage schemes. If the defense can come together and Tom Brady can continue to improve from his injury, they can be that dangerous team nobody talks about. I still contend that they will have a tough time being to repeat as AFC East champs as the Jets have done far more to improve their roster than the Patriots have.

Well there you have it, those are my five contenders for the AFC title going into the 2010-2011 season. Stay tuned for more updates from the Sportsdabbler.
Real Sports. Real Talk.

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Well, Breaking News just occurred, Wide Receiver Braylon Edwards was just traded from the Cleveland Browns to the New York Jets. The final details of the trade have not been disclosed but NFL.com sources are reporting that WR Chansi Stuckey, LB Jason Trusnik and two undisclosed draft picks are part of the compensation package.

If the drafts picks are a fourth and fifth rounder, I’m all for this trade. Despite being a moron who picks fights with LeBron James’s entourage, Braylon Edwards still has the potential to be a dominating wide receiver in this league provided that he has a good quarterback throwing him the ball. Don’t let the last two disappointing seasons get you down on this guy, when he is happy and motivated he can do big things. Think Randy Moss going from Oakland to the Patriots. He might not have that big of an improvement but watch for this guy to immediately become an impact guy for the Jets. Mark Sanchez now has a legitimate number one target and Jerricho Cotchery can thrive in the number two spot. The Jets realized that they needed a big play guy after getting thrashed by the Saints and I applaud the front office for getting this done.

In other NFL news, Michael Crabtree finally stopped being a punk and signed a 6-year deal with the 49ers. I guess he realized that having millions of dollars now is better than having it next year. I really hate when draft picks pull this type of bullsh*t. I understand you have to look out for your financial situation but at the same time you’re an unproven commodity and you sure as hell aren’t going to give any of that money back if you flop so just sign the contract appropriate for your draft slot and don’t sacrifice team chemistry for the sake of a few dollars. If you’re the player you think you are, you can always holdout later for more money.
The 49ers were already rolling without Crabtree but with the signing, Shaun Hill has a go-to target and if Crabtree is legit (I have a strong feeling that he is not), he can open up the seams for Vernon Davis who is already off to a nice start.

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I decided to have a little change of pace before I resume my recaps of the NBA Offseason. I need to address a few issues. If you have been paying attention to sports news you might have come across the ‘SEC Football Ballot Scandal.” If you have not, I will break it down for you. Apparently, one SEC coach, later discovered to be Steve Spurrier, decided not to put Tim Tebow on his first-team ballot. ESPN, with their Tebow-goggles on, made this foolishness headline news. So I guess we are not in a free country, you can not vote for who you want. Only now can we really feel the Iranians’ pain, just kidding. Its not like Ole Miss’s quarterback Jevan Snead is a scrub. In fact, he probably has a better pro football future than Tim Tebow because his playing style is more conducive to the pro game, but that is an argument for another day. I know Spurrier admitted that it was a mistake but I doubt his intention was to place Tebow on his first ballot. Honestly speaking though, I would have voted for Tebow on the first ballot but the media has no business bullying Spurrier into changing his vote, which is exactly what happened. I thought Spurrier would have shown more balls and actually stood with his ballot but he took the coward’s way out to avoid the unnecessary press. Either way, this was a complete non-story that got blown way out of proportion.

WTF, Did I get myself into?

Now that I’ve gotten that off my chest, I wanted to discuss another issue that will probably get way more media coverage than it deserves. The decision whether or not to reinstate notable dog-fighter Michael Vick into the NFL is being mulled over by the commissioner and wannabe tough guy, Roger Goodell. Personally speaking, I think Michael Vick has served his time and should be reinstated into the NFL. If you’re going to allow Pacman Jones, who was implicated in far worse situations, back into the NFL, then surely you will have to do the same for Michael Vick without him having to serve another four to six game suspension. If you do that, you might as well suspend him for another year because no team is going to be able to sign him and expect any reasonable contribution because it takes a lot of time and dedication to fully understand the average team’s playbook and terminology.

Let me set this straight, I’m not a Michael Vick fan (for his playing style, I have nothing personal against him). I even laughed when I first heard that he was being convicted for dog-fighting. The first words out of my mouth were: “What a stupid motherfu**er!” Now however, my sentiments are different. The man has served two years in Federal Prison for a crime that is committed virtually everywhere in the United States and is publicized nowhere.
I’m not making any excuses for Vick, but I understand that he grew up in a thuggish environment, he maintained relationships with thuggish people and he never realized that you have to start maturing as you get older. Not to mention, when you make millions of dollars, its wise to cut ties with people who can jeopardize that. I’m sure he’s more than learned all of that by now.

Lawrence "8-ball" Taylor

In America, we have a very forgiving society as long as you’re remorseful. Look at some of the players that are in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. You have notable coke-heads like Lawrence Taylor and Michael Irvin who are two of the most revered players in NFL history. Should players who are repeated drug users be allowed to be in the NFL let alone be enshrined in the Hall of Fame? That’s a question that you have to ask yourself.

Michael "That pipe wasn't mine" Irvin

Now I’m not saying that Michael Vick’s reinstatement into the NFL should be unconditional. He really did piss off a lot of people as well let down a lot of his fans. I’m not saying its right but for some reason parents let their children idolize these athletes who are nothing more than people who play games for a living. Athletes should not be role models for children, and if you’re a parent that doesn’t understand that distinction, then you are a FAILURE as a parent. Back to my original point though, Vick’s reinstatement should not be unconditional, I believe that a portion of his salary should be donated to PETA as well some other charities involving animals. This would go a long way in repairing his public image and probably would spearhead momentum in gaining back some of the endorsements he has lost.

Now that Michael Vick has been out of the NFL for two years a lot of people are wondering what he would bring to an NFL team. At 29 years old he is still in peak athletic condition and because he was off the field the last two years there isn’t much wear and tear on his body unless he dropped the soap in the prison shower…Ouch! Seriously though, before he got arrested Vick was one of the most electrifying playmakers to ever grace a football field. He was never a quarterback but rather an athlete lining up at quarterback. His understanding of reading defenses was always minimal and apparently he never spent the required time breaking down game film. Unfortunately, he is a moron and that’s not something that is going to be rectified now. I’ve always said that if he had Peyton Manning’s brain he would be the best football player ever.

Fortunately for Vick though, several NFL clubs are starting to experiment with this Wildcat formation, where you have a great athlete lineup under center and take snaps. Notable teams that have put it to use are Miami and Cleveland. As these teams gain success it will probably start catching on. Look for Minnesota to use it this year with Percy “I scored a 5 on my Wonderlic” Harvin. Vick would be perfect for that offense because he actually has experience under center and he has one of the best arms the NFL has ever seen. He could really be successful in situational downs. I think if his hands are good, he could also be an exceptional slot receiver, especially off of bubble screens. His fantastic agility would allow him to thrive in such a role.

Eventually, we will have to wait and see how this plays out. Roger Goodell has a ‘Napoleon Complex’ and he wants to be that tough guy. He’ll keep scheduling periodic meetings with Vick to see if he is remorseful and then eventually decide to let him play. Hopefully Vick won’t face any further suspensions and actually be allowed to have a legitimate chance of signing with a team for training camp. I’m sure the Raiders or Lions will give him a chance as they are two of the most poorly run franchises in the league and are inclined to take stupid risks. Whether you love him or hate him, Vick deserves a second chance and even though I’m not a fan of his, I do look forward to seeing him play this year. Good luck Vick! I’m interested in hearing what everyone else thinks about this, don’t forget to comment!

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