Friday, December 28, 2007
New Age Basketball
Whenever I visit my Uncles, we always talk about sports. Mainly we talk about the Celtics. They wax poetic about the 80's and the Big Three. One of my Uncles always talks about how players now get to take as many steps as they want before the jump. I have to say that I agree with him. Recently, I saw Paul Pierce take three steps before he passed the ball. He was in plain view of one of the officials and the official looked the other way like cops paid off by the mob. Traveling is no longer a concern in the NBA. The best players get a free pass because the league loves to see the stars do well so that they can make money.I think that the NBA has to get back to the fundamentals. The officials have to start calling traveling when a player takes more than two steps. I just hope that the NBA realizes that they are teaching kids the wrong way to play. You are teaching them that if they become great that they don't have to follow the rules. The fundamentals are what makes basketball a great sport. Personally, I like to see great defense and crisp passing. If you ask any basketball purist, they would agree. Crisp passing and fundamentals lead to the amazing dunks that we see. The NBA doesn't need players walking all the time. I want to see the basics.
Monday, December 24, 2007
Notes from the Pats-Dolphins game
On Sunday, I attended the Pats game. The first half was amazing. The Pats defense was smothering the fins offense. The second half, on the other hand, was pathetic for the Pats. Here are a few notes from the game:
Maroney, without a doubt, had the best game of his young career. His two runs of 50 or more yards were things of beauty. It was the perfect combination of blocking and running. On the first run, the offensive line just completely controlled the d-line. They opened a hole for Maroney, he saw it, hit it and just ran away from the defenders. On the touchdown run, the two lineman that were eligible receivers engulfed their men. The fins had there whole team minus 1 in the box and the 1 who wasn't was on the opposite side of the play. It was a piece of beauty to watch.
Also, the defense played great. They were able to get pressure on Lemon and force him to throw the ball without accuracy. Also, the run D played well, stopping up holes and not letting the backs get anywhere.
On a creative note, the fans sitting behind me came up with the ever so creative "Squeeze that Lemon" whenever Cleo was sacked.
The Second Half was just abysmal. Tom Brady played very well int he first half. He had 3 TD passes in the half and looked as sharp as usual. The only problem was that the fins were getting some pressure on Brady. In the Second half, Brady played like shit. He constantly missed open receivers and keyed in on Randy Moss, which led to his two interceptions. I am not the biggest Brady fan on the earth and after the First, I started to think that he was pretty good. Then the second half rolled around and I remembered why I didn't like him. He thinks he can do anything and ends up hurting his team.
Also in the half, the D played much worse. There pass D was just as stingy (other than Hobbs getting faked out of his jock by Camarillo in the TD). There run D wasn't as good. There wasn't any gap control, there was poor tackling and it seemed that the running back could switch fields at will and gain yards. This may have been a genesis of the D being on the field the whole half or it might not have been.
Over all, everyone had a pretty good game except for the golden boy, Brady.
**As a side note, the play calling was atrocious. Josh McDaniels seemed like he couldn't call anything except a pass. Maroney was running the ball very well and the line was controlling the line of scrimmage. He should have mixed in runs and passes as well as some screens. The fins D had the pass covered the entire second half, and the Pats were content with throwing the ball. They definitely need better balance on offense or else Brady will be severely frustrated.
The refs made two bogus calls as well, Moss was mugged by three people downfield. There wasn't incidental contact, the fins back ran over him without repercussion. Also, Asante was called for pass interference when he made a great timing play. He hit the receiver as the ball hit the receivers chest.
Maroney, without a doubt, had the best game of his young career. His two runs of 50 or more yards were things of beauty. It was the perfect combination of blocking and running. On the first run, the offensive line just completely controlled the d-line. They opened a hole for Maroney, he saw it, hit it and just ran away from the defenders. On the touchdown run, the two lineman that were eligible receivers engulfed their men. The fins had there whole team minus 1 in the box and the 1 who wasn't was on the opposite side of the play. It was a piece of beauty to watch.
Also, the defense played great. They were able to get pressure on Lemon and force him to throw the ball without accuracy. Also, the run D played well, stopping up holes and not letting the backs get anywhere.
On a creative note, the fans sitting behind me came up with the ever so creative "Squeeze that Lemon" whenever Cleo was sacked.
The Second Half was just abysmal. Tom Brady played very well int he first half. He had 3 TD passes in the half and looked as sharp as usual. The only problem was that the fins were getting some pressure on Brady. In the Second half, Brady played like shit. He constantly missed open receivers and keyed in on Randy Moss, which led to his two interceptions. I am not the biggest Brady fan on the earth and after the First, I started to think that he was pretty good. Then the second half rolled around and I remembered why I didn't like him. He thinks he can do anything and ends up hurting his team.
Also in the half, the D played much worse. There pass D was just as stingy (other than Hobbs getting faked out of his jock by Camarillo in the TD). There run D wasn't as good. There wasn't any gap control, there was poor tackling and it seemed that the running back could switch fields at will and gain yards. This may have been a genesis of the D being on the field the whole half or it might not have been.
Over all, everyone had a pretty good game except for the golden boy, Brady.
**As a side note, the play calling was atrocious. Josh McDaniels seemed like he couldn't call anything except a pass. Maroney was running the ball very well and the line was controlling the line of scrimmage. He should have mixed in runs and passes as well as some screens. The fins D had the pass covered the entire second half, and the Pats were content with throwing the ball. They definitely need better balance on offense or else Brady will be severely frustrated.
The refs made two bogus calls as well, Moss was mugged by three people downfield. There wasn't incidental contact, the fins back ran over him without repercussion. Also, Asante was called for pass interference when he made a great timing play. He hit the receiver as the ball hit the receivers chest.
The Dolphins catch a Tuna
What a coup for the Miami Dolphins. Wooing Bill Parcells away from Atlanta and ESPN will be a major building block for the now 1-14 Dolphins. Bill Parcells is one of the most successful football minds ever. His track record is amazing. Every team that he is affiliated with has risen from the ashes. He made the Giants into a powerhouse, turned the Patriots from laughingstock into a Superbowl caliber team, took the Jets from abysmal to the playoffs and laid the foundation for the top seeded Dallas Cowboys. No one is saying that the Tuna will take the fins from worst to first next year, but his talent evaluation will help the team dramatically. After the draft debacle last year (picking Ted Ginn Jr. with the no. 9), Tuna's expertise will serve them well. Without the help of Tuna, the fins would probably do something stupid with their first pick just like last year. With the Tuna, they will get there money's worth out of the pick and he will drop some of the dead weight that the fins currently hold. Just like he did with Dallas, the Tuna will turn the fins into a contender maybe not next year or the year after, but within the next 5 years.
Tuesday, December 18, 2007
Unlikely Success
The Patriots are on a historic run toward perfection. The Celtics have the best record in the NBA. The Red Sox won the World Series. Because these three teams have been so successful, many Bostonians fail to recognize the success that the Bruins are having. The B's are quietly putting together a remarkable season. At the beginning of the season, many pundits thought that the Bruins would be an average to poor team and not make the playoffs. As of today, they have the second best record in the Eastern Conference and are tied for second most points. It is surprising that the B's are doing so well. They were bit early on in the season with the injury bug. Patrice Bergeron might be out for the year with a concussion, Defensemen Aaron Ward and Andrew Ference both missed time and the disappointing Manny Fernandez is out for the year with a knee injury. They don't score many goals and they don't have a goalie like Martin Brodeur. But they just find a way to win. They have bought into Claude Julien's system and allow the least first period goals in the league. Guy's like Chuck Kobasew and Marco Sturm are leading the team. The Play of Captain Zdeno Chara is finally comparable to the way he played in Ottawa and Marc Savard is the ultimate playmaker. Despite their lack of scoring, their improved defense and overall will to win seems to be propelling the team. If they keep up the level that they are playing, they may do some damage in the East.
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