Ochocinco is already making friends

Photo courtesy of bet.com. Chad Ochocinco (right) is already making friends with the New England fans. Will his off-field antics be well received by his teammates such as Tom Brady (left)?

By Josh Kramer

It has been a great off-season for the always dangerous New England Patriots to say the least.  They have improved their roster in a variety of ways and look poised to make a long-awaited (in New England years) return to the Super Bowl. One of their prized acquisitions is already making noise.  Whether it is positive or negative remains to be seen.

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Belichick: A coach or a babysitter?

Photo courtesy of liftedathletics.com.

By Josh Kramer

The Patriots stole the show today in another wild and crazy day for the NFL.  Normally the Patriots get attention  and steal the limelight for winning on the field.  They also have a history of winning with off-season transactions as well though.  During the course of the same day, they picked up two former Pro Bowlers for highly discounted rates.  Now I am not saying that we are going to see the Albert Haynesworth of 2008 or the OchoCinco, of the pre OchoCinco era (Johnson days).  I do know that this is a win/win situation once again for the Patriots.  Kraft, Belichick, and Co. are masterminds transactions wise and understand that players want to come play for them.  Go figure that players would want to go play in bitterly cold Foxborough.  There must be something in the water.

But the real question I have about all of this is not whether the Patriots will be a playoff team, because that is basically a no brainer.  The real question is should Bill Belichick sign up for the “Babysitter’s Club?”

Mavericks Extinguish the Flame

Photo courtesy of Celebrity Sentry.

By Josh Kramer

The Mavericks have made a total of two NBA Finals appearances in franchise history.  Both times they have gone against the Miami Heat.  Dating back to the 06 Finals (their other appearance), Dallas had lost five straight finals games at the hands of Miami.  Number six appeared to be almost inevitable.  Down by 15 with a little over six minutes left in the 4th against a very confident Miami team that appeared to be clicking on all cylinders.  It appeared to be “game over.”

“A Rough Go for Kobe”

It has been a rough go for Laker's superstar Kobe Bryant (pictured above) over the past couple of days. Now it is playoff time and Bryant always has his game face on for the postseason.

The past couple of days have been an absolute whirlwind for Lakers superstar, Kobe Bryant.  First, a key piece of the Lakers championship puzzle, Andrew Bynum, goes down with yet another knee injury.  Then, later in the game, Kobe picks up a technical foul. But the technical was not out of the ordinary for Bryant, who is 2nd in the League this year in technical fouls to Superman himself, Dwight Howard.

Bryant frequently argues with referees and actually has ranked in the top ten in the League for technical fouls each of the past six seasons. I do not like when guys jabber at opposing players or whine to  the referees.  But I do respect Bryant’s drive and his ability to “Refuse to Lose.”  He is emotional.  The man just hates losing.  It is a trait that Michael Jordan had.  It is a trait that Tiger Woods had.  Losing is not something that any of these guys ever seem to think is possible.  So they each have had their fair share of temper tantrums over the years.  And do not think for a second that guys like Jordan did not cry to the refs or that the other stars in today’s game remain mum towards the referees.  It just isn’t true.  Stars complain.  And they complain frequently.

“Food for Thought 4-5-11”

The reigning National League MVP and Red's star 1st Baseman Joey Votto (pictured above) appears determined to lead Cincinnati back to the playoffs. And this time he appears to be playing for keeps.

As I mentioned in yesterday’s “Weekly Nickel,” this is an absolutely wild week in sports.  Here are a few things that have been on my mind over the past 24 hours though.

Reds Look Determined to go Wire to Wire

“NFL Conference Championship Preview”

Our very own Wesley Kaminsky thinks that Steeler's Safety, Troy Polamalu (pictured above), will play a huge part in helping Pittsburgh get back to the Super Bowl.

Wesley is a sports expert and journalist out of Philadelphia that writes for Bleacher Report.  You can check out all of his work at  http://bleacherreport.com/users/88810-wesley-kaminsky or follow his twitter @Wesley_Kaminsky

Football fans, brace yourself, because the end of the NFL season is near. It’s conference championship weekend, and we will see rematches from earlier this season. Everybody expected the Patriots to be here, but the trash-talking Jets had different plans and backed it up. Now they must go on the road again and win in Pittsburgh. On the other side, the Packers and Bears will meet in a division clash where the season series was split at one games apiece.

Now, I leave just one question to you. Are you ready for some football?

“NFL Divisional Playoff Preview: Jets, Ravens, Packers, Bears Look For Revenge”

Wesley is a sports expert and journalist out of Philadelphia that writes for Bleacher Report.  You can check out all of his work at  http://bleacherreport.com/users/88810-wesley-kaminsky or follow his twitter @Wesley_Kaminsky

The common theme of the divisional playoffs this weekend is revenge. Every game this weekend features rematches from earlier this season, but will the results be different this time around?

Here are some questions to consider heading into the weekends games.

Can the Jets keep it close in New England?

Which defense plays better, the Steelers or Ravens?

Will the Seahawks win in Chicago for the second time this season?

Can the Packers win in Atlanta?

“NFL WildCard Weekend”

Perhaps the biggest snub from the Pro Bowl this year was Aaron Rodgers (pictured above). Look for Rodgers to make a statement in leading the Packers to a huge victory over the Eagles on the road.

The NFL playoffs start today.  Where did the regular season go?  For many it has been over for months, and for a chosen few, it still may have another month left to go.

Here is a look at the final Pick’em Scoreboard.

TheSportsKraze: 150

CV3: 149

I was down by 5 games heading into Week 17.  I finally caught the expert that is CV3 in the end though.  It was a very fun challenge.  More of you will have to get involved next year.

After already getting picks from our very own Wesley Kaminsky yesterday, I am now going to give some picks of my own.

Saturday

New Orleans Saints at Seattle Seahawks

The defending champs head to the rainy city to take on an under 500 Seattle team.  Yes I said it, the Seahawks are under 500.  They won just 7 games this year, and they have home field in the first round of the playoffs?  Sorry New York and Tampa.  You got shafted.  Seattle is a typical 7 win team.  They really do not do anything especially well.  Get ready to watch Drew Brees run circles around the League’s 27th ranked secondary.  This one will not even be close.  Saints by 14 on the road as they look to keep their hopes of repeating alive.

New York Jets at Indianapolis Colts

These two teams are polar opposites in every sense of the word.  They both are very good at their craft though.  The Jets will pound the ball on the ground at you all night, while the Colts will air it out with the best of them.  The difference in this one will be the Jets ability to defend against the pass. The Colt’s on the other hand are unable to stop the run.  I realize that Indy has home field advantage.  I realize that they are led by arguably the best quarterback of all time in Peyton Manning.  But it will not be enough on this day.  The Jets were my preseason pick to win the Super Bowl.  And I have them taking care of business.  Indy will get shocked at home today as the Jets exact some revenge from last year’s AFC Championship Game.  Jets by 3 in a great game.

Sunday

Baltimore Ravens at Kansas City Chiefs

KC rides their two-headed rushing attack of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones every week.  They run the ball more effectively than any team in the League.  Baltimore on the other hand has had one of the League’s scariest defensive units for over a decade now.  Now I do realize that the Chiefs only dropped one home game all year.  The Ravens on the other hand finished 5 and 3 on the road.  Yet this team is just absolutely loaded in every sense of the word.  They have playmakers on both ides of the ball, that I do not see KC being able to keep up with.  It has been a great year for the Chiefs and they vastly exceeded expectations.  But the Ravens have won 4 games in a row, and do not appear ready to lose this week.  The difference will be the experience of the Raven linebackers and their ability to shut down KC’s lethal rushing attack. Baltimore by 3 in a very ugly physical game.

Green Bay Packers at Philadelphia Eagles

This may be the most intriguing and highly anticipated matchup of the entire weekend.  All year Michael Vick has been a “running” headline.  How do you contain the guy?  The Eagles are full of playmakers.  Jackson, Maclin, Celek, McCoy, and Vick are some of the League’s best and most exciting players at their respective positions.  But the Packers have some playmakers of their own.  Do not sleep on Charles Woodson anchoring the secondary and Clay Matthews reeking havoc all over the field.  Lastly, Aaron Rodgers has not gotten love this entire year.  Talk about a Pro Bowl snub.  Look for this guy to continue his hot streak and absolutely shred the Eagle’s mediocre secondary.  I love watching the Eagles play.  But the Packers were my preseason pick to represent the NFC in the Super Bowl.  Well I got them winning this one.  Packers by 1 in the most exciting game of the weekend.

So there you have my picks.  Enjoy the two days of NFL games leading up to the NCAA Championship Game on Monday.

Stay tuned for the next edition of TheSportsKraze.

-TheSportsKraze