Weekly Nickel 3-3-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Roger Federer (left) seems to be back to his old ways after defeating Andy Murray (right) to win his second consecutive title. It should be fun to see if the former number one player can continue his hot streak in Indian Wells.

By Josh Kramer

Hoops, hoops, and more hoops.  You thought this week was great in terms of College Basketball and the NBA?  Just wait.  This week was just an appetizer to the main course.  In addition, more scandal came out in the sporting world this for a change (bounty hunting).  Last week was fun.  But this week has the makings of being any better.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  The NHL’s Eastern Conference has turned into a three-team race.  Go figure that two of the teams are from Boston and New York.  What would professional sports be without the good old Boston/New York hate-fest?  Yesterday, was a treat as we got to witness the Rangers flex their Eastern Conference leading muscles to a 4-3 victory over the defending Stanley Cup Champion Boston Bruins.  I have a feeling that there is a seven-game series in store between these teams in the near future.  As always, here is my matchup of the week.

Florida Panthers at Pittsburgh Penguins:  Two of the East’s finest go to battle at the CONSOL Energy Center.  Pittsburgh’s electric offense led by Evgeni Malkin welcomes into town a Panthers team that just flat-out knows how to win.  If you asked me why Florida has been so successful this season, I couldn’t tell you.  They just have won game at an impressive rate.  Lately though, Pittsburgh has played much better hockey than the Panthers.  I expect this to continue.  Look for the Penguins to handle business at home, where they have been very tough to beat this year.

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NBA Mid-Season Awards

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Chris Paul (pictured above) has made "Lob City" possible and turned the Clippers into a contender. He is also Wesley Kaminsky's pick for the MVP thus far.

By Wesley Kaminsky

With half of the condensed season done, the NBA world has seen everything from the Clippers becoming relevant to the legend of Jeremy Lin, also known as “Linsanity.” For NBA fanatics, this season has been fantastic, as there are games on every night. With a much-needed All-Star break coming up for the players, who is making the biggest impact this season? Here are my mid-season awards.

MVP: Chris Paul, Los Angeles Clippers:

Look, the obvious choice for the MVP award this season is LeBron James, who has been simply sensational from Day 1. He’s averaging 27.6 points, 8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists per game. He’s also on the team that has the best record in basketball. Having said that, he doesn’t get my vote. Chris Paul does. Paul inherited a 32-50 Clipper team and has turned them into a contender. At 20-11, the Clippers are sitting atop the Pacific Division, with Paul averaging 19.2 points and 8.6 assists per game. He has been the catalyst all season long and is the main reason why the Clippers are for once relevant. I continue to try to make my case that on a team that features both LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, neither of them should win the MVP award.

Weekly Nickel 2-13-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Golf took a trip down memory lane this weekend with both Phil Mickelson (left) and Tiger Woods (right) in contention on Sunday. Mickelson ended up going home with the victory.

By Josh Kramer

“Linsanity” has hit a whole new level as the lowly New York Knicks have now won five straight games.  The little-known point guard out of Harvard whom nobody wanted is now both “known” and “wanted” by all.  Though it was weird having no professional or collegiate football games this past week, it still was a great week in the wide world of sports.  As I always like to say though.  On to the next one.  Here are the events to keep an eye on.

5.  The AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am was without question a blast this past weekend.  It was quite refreshing to have some of the “Big” names in golf back around the top of the leaderboard (Mickelson, Woods).  For a short period, it felt as if golf was drifting back into the golden era of five years ago.  Mickelson came out victorious, while Tiger struggled to a 15th place finish (though he was in contention until the final round).  Well the tour does not start and end in Pebble Beach.  Next weekend, all eyes will be on the Riviera Country Club in California.  CBS will be heading up the coverage.  I have a distinct feeling that the Woods/Mickelson Show could return in the very near future.

Throwback Saturday Part IV

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. A little over a year ago today, Jerry Sloan (pictured above) was forced into stepping down from his position as the Head Coach of the Utah Jazz.

By Josh Kramer

So when I originally constructed the idea of “Throwback Saturdays,” I figured I would do it for a month or so.  It would be a change of pace for you all and give you some time to reflect a bit. With that being said, I feel as if this idea has been a rousing success thus far, at least from the feedback you all have given me.  Please provide further feedback in the comments section.  I have a feeling next week you may be seeing “Throwback Saturday Part V.”

Unfortunately, I did not put up a post on February 11^th in either 2010 or 2011.  So I apologize for letting you all down on those particular dates.  We will just have to settle for dates very close in proximity.

One year ago (February 10, 2011)..

Sayonora Sloan

Here is a snippet from the middle of the post..

Sloan is one of the greatest offensive masterminds of our generation.  The guy has won his entire career.  He handles his business the right way.  No ridiculous off court mishaps with this guy.  Yet ownership has chosen Deron Williams as the future?

Unless you live under a rock, you probably know who Deron Williams is.  He is a 5th year All Star point guard who played college ball at Illinois.  The guy is arguably the best point guard in the League (I would currently rank him behind Rose, Rondo, and Paul in all honesty though).  Any guy that puts up 20 points and 10 assists a night is doing something right.  But it has been well documented that Williams and legendary coach Sloan have had their fair share of tussles over the past year (To finish reading the post, click this link).

Food for Thought 2-7-2012

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Eli Manning (pictured above) likely stamped a ticket to Canton with an outstanding performance in Super Bowl XLVI.

By Josh Kramer

So long football season.  It has been real. Now America’s favorite sport goes on an extended hiatus.  Basketball takes center stage and baseball is on the horizon.  I think it is safe to say that the 92^nd edition of NFL football did not disappoint by any means and we are all as excited as ever for Year #93.   Here are the main items that have caught my attention over the past couple or days.

NFLP?

So maybe the big game was not as high scoring of an affair as many would have hoped.  I think we can all agree that it was far more entertaining than the BCS National Championship Game that we all had to suffer through nearly a month ago.  The fact of the matter is, the entire football world got to bear witness to an outstanding football game that came down to the final play.  Really, what more can you ask for?

A rebirth of sorts

Photo courtesy of BleacherReport.com. Kyrie Irving (pictured above) has lived up to the hype thus far in Cleveland.

By Josh Kramer

6-26-2003.  7-8-2010.  6-23-2011.  Three days that will forever define the history of an NBA franchise.  So you are probably sitting there wondering why I would list out these three dates.  Well a renaissance of sorts is occurring in the often sports deprived city of Cleveland.  And these are the three key dates that tell the story.

Food for Thought 12-27-2011

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Kyle Orton (pictured above) has a chance at redemption on Sunday in Denver. Can he spoil the Broncos playoff chances?

By Josh Kramer

The NBA is back.  We are entering the final week of the NFL regular season.  And we are on the verge of some BCS football.  It truly is the most wonderful time of the year.  Here are the items that have caught my attention.

Orton’s day in the sun?

-How many of you have ever been fired from a job?  I am assuming the vast majority of you have.  And for those of you who have been let go from your job, how many of you have wanted the opportunity to extract some revenge?  The chance to outdo your former company on a sale.  Or something to that degree?  Well for Kyle Orton, he will get just that chance come next Sunday.  Orton will have the chance to hit his former employer (the Denver Broncos) where it hurts.

Food for Thought 12-20-2011

Photo courtesy of sportsillustrated.cnn.com. The Philip Rivers (pictured above) that we all expected to be a frontrunner for the MVP has finally arrived.

By Josh Kramer

“Tebow Time” finally struck midnight.  Aaron Rodgers and the Packers are no longer invincible.  Plus the Cincinnati Reds just made the blockbuster trade of the offseason thus far (Pujols, Reyes, and Wilson signing were free agent moves).  It has been a wild past few days to say the least.  Here are the items that have caught my attention.

Rivers has finally arrived

-Have you ever heard the expression “Too little, too late?”  In the case of Philip Rivers and the San Diego Chargers, this may be the case.  You better believe the franchise that had won four straight AFC West crowns before last season and has not experienced a losing season since 2003 is not going to go down without a fight though.  Many, including myself, had anointed Philip Rivers as “the guy” this year in the NFL.  He was going to take home the MVP honors and lead San Diego to a deep playoff wrong.  Many, including myself were incorrect.

Food for Thought 12-13-2011

Photo courtesy of sportsillustrated.cnn.com. UK lost for the first time this season on Saturday. Still there is no reason for John Calipari (pictured above) and Big Blue Nation to panic by any means.

By Josh Kramer

The past few days in sports have been anything but ordinary.  In fact, it has been an extraordinary past few days in regards to sports, just the way we like it.  Here are the items that have caught my attention.

Have no fear, UK is here

-Any of you that know me personally are well aware that I am not the biggest advocate of the Big Blue Nation (University of Kentucky).  By no means am I a guy that you will find at Rupp Arena for a showdown on a Saturday afternoon.  But I will admit one thing; this year’s version of the “Calipari All Stars” is the real deal.  Yes, I realize it is ironic that I am talking about this team following their first loss of the year.  A heartbreaking defeat at the hands of an Indiana program that finally appears to be back from the dead.

Weekly Nickel 12-12-2011

Photo courtesy of zimbio.com. Will Louisville Head Coach Rick Pitino (pictured above) be all smiles next Saturday after Louisville hosts old Conference USA rival Memphis?

By Josh Kramer

Both number one and number two went down in college basketball.  Baylor claimed its first Heisman.  And the NL MVP was apparently taking some sort of illegal performance-enhancing drug (PED).  Last week was absolutely wild, but this week should be fun in its own right. Here are the events to keep an eye on this week.

5.  Bowl season is upon us.  We all were thoroughly impressed by Robert Griffin III on Saturday night in NYC.  The guys is truly a gentlemen and a phenomenal ambassador of the sport.  RGIII truly embodies what it means to be a student athlete.  But there is still more football to be played.  Bowl season gets underway on Saturday with a triple-header of games.  I am not sure any of these lackluster bowls will be of interest to you unless you are dedicated fan of one of the schools.  Here is the rundown though.