Ed The Sports Fan

Cash Rules Everything Around Thee

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:14:00 +0000

Whoever said money is the root of all evil was certainly telling the truth. When the O’Jays sang about it in 1973, they were saying more of the same, in song. In life, it plays a huge role, and in sports, it can be the difference between someone staying put and someone leaving their current situation. All of that is understandable, but when it’s placed on too high a pedestal, that’s when I tend to get my “Shaquille Sunflower” on, and take exception.

Ed and I have vastly opposing views on this topic here, which has led to plenty of spirited and hilarious conversations, whether on the phone, Twitter, or in person. Accusations of Benedict Arnold will rise out from within me, only for Ed to come in and provide an alternate perspective. In all honesty, both of us have made good points, but it does pose a serious question: when it comes to money, how big a role should it play, and when is enough truly enough?

Now there is a form of hypocrisy, because I don’t call any players in the NFL a Benedict Arnold, because they can be cut anytime, and when they get cut, they can forget about seeing any money that’s owed to them. More than ever, you’re seeing players get cut by teams, because they may not want to pay a roster bonus due to them (ex. Thomas Jones in New York), so when football players go back on their word, it’s totally understandable, because they’re doing what they've got to do. The hypocrisy does stem in basketball, though. When a player gives his word, a la, Carlos Boozer or Elton Brand, only to leave for more money, there’s a serious problem there. Yes, in the case of Boozer, Utah offered a substantially higher amount of bread than Cleveland did, but he gave his word to Cleveland that he’d stay, and since $40 million is more money than one can spend in their lifetime anyway, the importance of keeping your word should rule over a few more…well, $20 million more in salary. Now, it can look absolutely ridiculous to expect a man to leave over $20 million on the table, but once you give your word, that should mean something, shouldn’t it? As for Brand, well, there’s a post right here that sums up exactly how I feel about that turncoat. The common denominator is they both went to Duke, so what does that tell you?

In college football, it’s even worse. The fact that Robert Petrino can still get hired to coach a high-profile D-1 football program is beyond comprehension, because he’s the biggest coaching version of Benedict Arnold in recent memory. Some reserve that title for Lane Kiffin, but for some reason, I wasn't mad at him for leaving Tennessee for USC. There was even a Benedict Arnold post run on this very site about Brian Kelly, but even in anger, there was the underlying truth that Notre Dame has always been his dream job, so that was understandable, even if it was still wrong to bounce before the Sugar Bowl.

So once again, when do you say when? When do the values of authenticity, sincerity, and keeping your word take precedence over money? Is there such a thing in professional sports, period, or is it all masqueraded as “just business?” With contracts getting bigger and bigger, along with players, coaches, and owners getting more money than ever before, is this all wishful thinking? Honestly, there’s not a concrete answer to the question, or there would be no need to ask, but like the O’Jays sang in that classic, “don’t let money change you; it will keep on changing, changing up your mind.”

Be easy.
-K. Masenda
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/

The Bucks Stops Here...

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 13:57:00 +0000

Quick...name one friend that you know that is a legitimate fan of the Milwaukee Bucks? Okay, they don't even have to be your "friend", do you know anyone in your entire lifetime that was a Bucks fan ever? Other than when Ray Allen & Glenn "Big Dog" Robinson was there, was there at any time a jersey you wanted to rock from the Bucks?

Don't worry...I'll wait.

However, if you're not paying attention then you are missing out on a team that has two legitimate stars and role players that are as versatile as they come. Oh, and their coach? Well...he's probably one of the most hated/loved coaches in the NBA, all while still holding the single game assist record and has a protege who wears gumby haircuts for fun.

Oh boy.

Let's play a little guessing game real quick...

I want to show you people something, take a look at the graph to your right. Two players with highly similar numbers. One is a virtual unknown to casual fans. The other is a global phenom. They are both similar in age and physical stature, yet you probably would never compare the two at all. Can you name the two players?

(Jeopardy music...)

Player A is Andrew Bogut, Player B is Dwight Howard.

So why do we not talk about Andrew Bogut as being a legitimate, dominant big man in this league? Its not like he has had the opportunity to play with the same resources as Howard, nor the media attention. Plus, he keeps to himself, has some "interesting" views on how the players and the league operates. Needless to say, this man deserves our respect. 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 2.5 blocks a game? This man needs to be in an All-Star game immediately.

Plus, Bogut's game has risen due to the Bucks luckily getting the opportunity to draft Brandon Jennings, the wunderkind floor general from Compton (by way of Italy) who has brought some legitimacy to the point guard position not seen since Sam Cassell. Moreover, Jennings did one of the worst/greatest things he could've done in his career by dropping a double-nickel against Golden State early in the season. It put everyone on notice that he's capable of doing it. However, it also let Jennings know in his mind that he could do it. Bad for business for someone who's 20 and a streak shooter. (And he has a penchant for absurd yet loveable haircuts. Let Ed be the first to say that Brandon Jennings has a chance to be one of the most memorable players ever. Like on some Chad "OchoCinco" Johnson type stuff. I'm just saying.)

But look at the Bucks now, Scott Skiles has reigned the young man in and turned him into more of a distributor and away from the score-first mentality he had coming in. Skiles is the man that still holds the single-game assist record with 30...yes THIRTY assists in one game. (By the way, is that record EVER getting broken?) Jennings has evolved into being much more conscious of his decision making, from an October turnovers/game of 4.0 to finishing February with a 1.9 TOs/game. Yes, his shooting woes have continued but his distribution and ball security has coincided with the Bucks second half turnaround.

The Bucks are 9-1 in their last 10 games, second only to the Mavs 11-game win streak. Plus the addition of John Salmons has filled a major hole in their swingman rotation with Michael Redd being down (again) for the year with another knee injury. Their bench & role players are actually pretty deep and versatile. The ever-seasoned Jerry Stackhouse has become a mentor for this young squad, and Charlie Bell (defensive stud), Luc Richard Mbah a Moute (rebounder), Luke Ridnour (distributor), and Carlos Delfino (3-point shooter) all excel greatly in a rotation that goes 10-11 deep every night. They can matchup with anyone in the league, and although they aren't elite yet, no one wants to see them.

Mark my words on this one, if the Celtics matchup with the Bucks in the first round...just make sure you know that Ed said it first. Upset special.

Kudos to the GM, coaches, and players of the Milwaukee Bucks. You've stayed in the dark for too long, its time to bring you to the light. We're looking forward to seeing you all do work.

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

The 5 Free Agents Moves That SHOULD Happen In The NFL

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 14:20:00 +0000

Today is the big shopping spree day in the NFL, and from what you'll see moving across the bottom line is that teams are trying to do what they can to contend for a championship. Don't always think about what your teams needs immediately, think about what your team can get to be unstoppable. If the need fills that, then cool. Think about Terrell Owens when he went to the Eagles, they needed a wideout and he helped take them next level. However, think about Randy Moss to the Patriots and how that affected an already explosive offense.

Here are 5 free agent moves that should happen and the teams that need to make it happen.

#1. Julius Peppers Should Sign With The New England Patriots - If the Patriots ever want to get back into the elite again, they've got to upgrade that offensive line. Would the Patriots be willing to spend the egregious amount of money it would take to sign him? Maybe. The bigger question is would Peppers be willing to sign with a team that actually has a chance to win a championship? That I question a bunch more. Peppers could play as the down lineman in the 3-4 then also get outside and play the end too. He's 6'7", 280 pounds and runs a 4.6. He can make it happen...if he wants to.

Other teams for Peppers: Bears, Falcons, Jaguars

#2. The Baltimore Ravens NEED Brandon Marshall, Immediately - I'm sure The NFL Chick would love this move, even though I think she would rather have Anquan Boldin or even Terrell Owens. However if you are Ozzie Newsome, GM of the Ravens, you've got to realize a couple of things. For one, your offense is very young. Ray Rice and Joe Flacco are both going into their 3rd year in the league and they have ZERO playmakers at wideout. Brandon Marshall will be 26 at the start of the season and has made every quarterback he's played with look like Joe Namath. Help Joe Cool become a star, and take the offense to the next level. Secondly, that defense is getting long in the tooth, and if you end up spending draft picks trying to find that young wideout then you take away from the future depth in the defense. Make it happen Oz.

Other teams for Mashall: Seahawks, Bengals, Texans

#3. Richard Seymour Would Be A Perfect Fit For The Arizona Cardinals - Arizona is coming off of the final season of God's favorite quarterback, Mr. Kurt Warner, and are preparing to throw the responsibility of the offense onto Matt Leinart. Its a guarantee that the offense will struggle a bit more in 2010, and the defense might be on the field more. Arizona ranked 25th in YPC (4.5) and 17th in rushing defense, and poor Darnell Dockett is the only legitimate defensive line threat on that team. Give the man some help and get Seymour who might as well be the prototype for a 3-4 end lineman. He did yeoman's work in Oakland, and truthfully the Patriots missed him more than we'll ever know. (Even though they did get Oakland's 1st-round pick this year, idiots.) Plus, Seymour would definitely come at a cheaper price than a Peppers and give a similar production.

Other teams for Seymour: Patriots, Chargers, Buccaneers

#4. Please Get Thomas Jones Into a Texans Jersey ASAP - I swear ever since the Texans have been in existence they've never had a running back that could withstand the test of time. I honestly think their tailbacks are made of balsam wood, pixie sticks, velveeta cheese, tissue paper, and fairies wishes. Soft as hell. Thomas Jones has been miraculous in joining new teams and giving them a jolt. He's performed in Chicago and in New York, and he provides a straight-line rushing style that the Texans have had...never in life. Paired up with the scatback in Steve Slaton, they combine to create a much more formidable force in the backfield. Plus, Matt Schaub will love having TJo back there because he can actually block a blitzer.

Other teams for Jones: Chargers, Eagles, Seahawks

#5. The T.O. Show's Second Season Will Be Aired In Cincinnati - Who doesn't want to see OchoCinco and T.O. do some of the livest touchdown celebrations of all-time? Who doesn't want to see this? Plus, they are the perfect yin and yang for each other on the field. One is a quintessential deep threat, with crisp route-running, and an ability to break away from defenders (Ochocinco). The other is physically dominant, able to outmuscle folks for the ball and able to get YAC yards with the ability to break tackles (Owens). With the release of Laveranues Coles just recently, the money has been freed up to make the move, and for selfish reasons I'll be able to see Ocho and T.O. get off in the Queen City.

Other teams for Owens: Ravens, Patriots, Panthers

WHAT FREE AGENT MOVES DO YOU WANT TO SEE? SHARE YOUR THOUGHTS AND GOOD LUCK TO YOUR SQUAD!

P.S. - Its that time of year again. Its time to sign up for the 3rd Annual ETSF March Madness Bracket Buster Challenge! Do you have what it takes? Sign up today as we'll be giving away free prizes and other giveaways! Stay tuned today, and if you place lower than Kenny...just give up. LOL! http://y.ahoo.it/fTglqZUc

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

Some Fans Should Just Stay at Home

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 07:34:00 +0000

"Excuse me, sir? Can you sit down? I can't see."

This question was posed to me while I was shockin' the world at the Fiesta Bowl two months ago. Boise State and TCU were playing in Arizona, and with over 70,000 people, the odds that people were gonna stay in their seats were pretty slim. What made it bad for the person who asked me is that Marcia Masenda, my sister and loyal TCU fan and alum, goes to damn near all of TCU's games, and knows a fair-weather when she sees it. She just looked at the lady, and didn't even bother sitting down. Shoot, my sister may have even cursed her out, but I was so live and excited that it didn't matter what the lady said. There was no way in hell I was sitting down, and why should anyone? It's the Fiesta Bowl for God sake, but see, this is why some fans are meant to attend games, and why some are better off staying at home.

Seriously, you'll be hard-pressed to think of a more aggravating sight than a fan who either complains about folks not sitting down, or even worse, someone who takes a book or magazine to a game. Now don't get me wrong; I love to read, and take a book pretty much anywhere I go, but there is one place a book will never come with along with me, and that's to a game. You go to a game that's a sell-out; not an empty seat in the house. The game is great, filled with highs and lows, only to look over to the side to see some clown sitting down with their head buried between the pages of a book. In my opinion, if it's not the program you buy at the game, it needs to stay at the house, or in the car.

It's understood folks pay their money, which gives them the same right as any fan in an arena. That's understandable, but there's still something about certain types of fans that comes off as pompous and seditty to me. If folks really don't like people standing up at the game, because they can't see, they need to save their bread for courtside seats, or sit in the skybox, or shut the *bleep* up, and deal with it. Sure, there are times when a view could be better if someone took a seat, but that's something that comes with the territory of going to see a game. Folks are gonna be loud, do chants, and if they're live enough, and you're in the right atmosphere, you may even see something like this:

So for anyone who reads this, attends games and feels similar about this as I do, keep making noise, having fun, and doin' what you do. As for folks who do the opposite, try embracing part of what makes going to the games fun. I'm not speaking of folks who get drunk and act a total donkey, but just do better. Leave the book at home, come out of your shell, and enjoy yourself. If not, the odds that a game will be enjoyable will continue to remain slim.

-K. Masenda
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/

Russell Westbrook Is The Livest PG in the Association

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:47:00 +0000

Point of clarification...

He's not the best PG in the association in my opinion (that would be Chauncey Billups...yep, that will get the party started) we're talking about who is the "livest" point guard in the association.

Define "Live" Ed...okay, "Live" is when a someone or something has the capability of making you get off your feet, scream loudly, and get goosebumps because he's done something truly ridiculous. In the case of Russell Westbrook, compare him against all of his peers in the floor general hierarchy, the boy is purely live as hell.

The scary thing is...he's only 21 and he's not even the best player on his team. Lets dig deeper on this, shall we?

Russell Westbrook in just his 2nd year in the league has found a way to be a floor leader for the youngest team in the NBA, the Oklahoma City Thunder, and helped lead them to as of right now the #6 seed in the Western Conference. This is truly astounding...think back to this time a year ago. The Thunder started their season at 2-23 last year and finished with a 23-59 record. Compare that to this year's team, they passed 23 wins in the middle of January this year and as of today, they are 36-23 and it is truly possible that OKC could host a home playoff series in May. Yes, you read that right.

Now we all understand that in the grand scheme of things, there is a simple analogy that fits when you think of the Thunder. Russell Westbrook is to Robin, as Kevin Durant is to Batman. Kevin Durant is by far the lead dog on the squad, yet in 2010 when you watch OKC play you can definitely tell that Durant believes in Westbrook (and the rest of his teammates) and they feed off of each other. This is the same Kevin Durant, who just in his 3rd season will probably finish the year leading the league in scoring. Most folks in OKC would have NO PROBLEM literally letting KD35 shoot every time. Westbrook allows some of that type of pressure be relieved from Durant, and he's filling it up more than ever.

Westbrook is AVERAGING a ridiculous line of 17 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds a game. Over the last month he's cranked it up to an absurd line of 20/10/7 and has made my boy Steve in OKC ponder the question could a PG ever average a triple-double? (To answer Steve's question, no I don't think ANYONE will ever average a triple-double again, unless there was a player who was 6'8" and played PG yet was built like a defensive end and liked to dig in in the trenchest to...wait, you say there's someone like that? Ah well damn.)

Russell has enough ability that he's now become a supreme ball hawk on other PGs, he will without hesitation drive it to the rack and dunk on you (which is always fun), and he is gradually improving his jump shot which was Rondo-esque when he was a rookie has no evolved somewhere in between Jason Kidd-Derrick Rose territory. Which is fine, because that's who I see him being like. An ultimate blend of JKidd and DRose, and if this is the caliber of a #2 player that Durant and Thunder are led by, then the NBA is going to be in trouble for a long long time...

Of course, I guess we should've seen this coming right?

You've got the juice now Westbrook, whatcha gonna do now?

SO WHO ARE YOU TAKING AS THE MOST EXCITING PG IN THE GAME TODAY? ROSE? RONDO? WESTBROOK? COULD JOHN WALL SUPERCEDE ALL OF THESE BOYS? LET US KNOW YOUR THOUGHTS!

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

The Dallas Mavericks are Better than Ever

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 15:22:00 +0000

My emotional investment in the Dallas Mavericks has officially been made. On February 26th, the Dallas Mavericks were playing the Atlanta Hawks, and with a game filled with highs and lows, my pent-up feelings about the new-look Mavs exploded. They were gettin' fast-break buckets, Dirk was doin' work, Jason Kidd was finding people, the Mavs were scrambling defensively all over the court, and while watching it happen, it finally hit me that things were different for this team.

Don't get me wrong; when the trade was made, it was obviously great. The Mavs finally acquired a center with a low-post presence in Brendan Haywood. They also got a goon in DeShawn Stevenson, and one of my favorite players in the universe in Caron Butler. Add that to what the Mavs already had, and the excitement, exuberance, and overreaction were sure to come. However, being a resident of the city, and realizing our shortcomings in the past, the feelings I had remained contained, but as the Mavs were on a 19-1 run in the first half, I had seen enough. In terms of what the Mavericks can roll out on the floor on a nightly basis, this is the best team they've had since I've started watching them, and it reminds me of a move another contender made, six years ago, that propelled them to the championship.

During the 2003-04 trade deadline, the Detroit Pistons were able to pry Rasheed Wallace away, and add them to an already stacked team. The Pistons were contending for the past couple of years in the East, but were never able to get past New Jersey, and even had their hands full with the Pacers. Once Rasheed got there, the move put them over the top, and they eventually made the NBA Finals that same season, where they pounded the Lakers into submission in five games, which could have easily been a sweep, had not Kobe made an amazing three to tie Game Two. That one move helped the Pistons win a championship, because 'Sheed provided something the Pistons were missing. This may look wild, but the similarities are there, six years later, with the moves the Mavs just made.

Let’s be for real here. Not too many people thought the Mavs would make the Finals in 2006, simply because of the potential road which lied ahead. They beat a San Antonio team that was still championship-caliber, got past a Phoenix Suns team that’s nowhere near the atrocity you see before you today, and won the first two games of the NBA Finals, before they came back down to Earth, and lost four straight to lose the series. It’s not a knock against the Mavs; the Heat were just better, and had players who were battle-tested. This year though, the Mavs have everything they need, and if they play with the fierce urgency of now, the prospects of them going all the way are very bright.

They are clearly one of the three best teams in the Western Conference, and will benefit from a lower profile. Folks have pretty much penciled in a rematch of a Nuggets-Lakers Western Conference Final, but the Mavs have all the tools to channel a similar run like they had four years ago. The difference is this team is built to finish the job, and if somebody beats them this year, it won't be because of a lack of heart. Someone's just gonna have to beat them, period.

Dirk is still the man, but with Caron able to help take the offensive load off, along with Jason Terry, he doesn’t have to be the man every single night. They have a legitimate bench, players who know their role, a point guard who’s motivated to get his first championship, a coach who’s had success in the league and looking for his first ring as a coach, as well as an owner who’s done his part to put it all together. The Dallas Mavericks are as motivated as ever, and while I’m not automatically crowning them now (the title is still LA’s to lose), they are right there, and if they happen to catch the Lake Show or the Nuggets slippin’, it won’t be a shock to me. The future is now.

Be easy.
-K. Masenda
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/

The OTHER Triple-Double Machine in Ohio...

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 16:42:00 +0000

Evan Turner is the best player in college basketball, and he doesn't even have a jumper.

Sounds like someone else we ~~used to~~ know that plays ball in the Buckeye State... (LeBron's got a jumper now, there I said it.)

The man puts up a ridiculous 20 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists per game average for the Ohio State Buckeyes, who with a 23-7 overall record (13-4 Big 10 conference record) are quietly making a strong push to be considered for a #2 seed when Selection Sunday rolls around in 2 weeks. Yes, 2 weeks.

However, if you haven't had the chance to watch this kid play...get your popcorn ready.

First off, Turner can't win for losing. He plays for Ohio State, a school who's primary sports focus would be the football team and their stadium who holds about 108,000 on Saturday afternoons. He happens to play in the same state as LeBron James, who when you look at their games are very similar. (Except for the fact that Turner actually looks like a small forward, whereas LeBron looks like he should be playing defensive end for the Browns.) Moreover, Ohio State plays in the Big 10+1, and as far as I can see...NO ONE likes watching Big 10 basketball (or in some cases football, but that's a different subject. Oh, and I'm waiting for JAG to crucify me in the comments...)

Its easy to consider the fact that Turner, like his consensus player of the year running mate John Wall, is the leader and facilitator of his team's offense definitely sets the mode of the squad. However, watch Ohio State play. Watch how he easily gets John Diebler, Dallas Lauderdale (by far one of the funniest names I've ever heard of), William Buford, and David Lighty easy buckets and open shot opportunities. He's a defensive leader as well, averaging 2 steals a game and a block per game, dude does it all.

Oh yeah one more thing, dude broke his back earlier in the season on December 5th.

The Buckeyes quickly dropped 3 of their next 7 games in his absence, but have went 13-3 since with close losses to #7 West Virginia and #3 Purdue. Turner's come a long way, and so have the Buckeyes. Diebler's been an assassin on the outside, and Lighty and Buford are consistent inside/out threats on the squad.

Ohio State will goes as far as #21 takes them, he's the best college player in the game, so mark it down...Ohio State will go to the Final Four.

WHO'S YOUR CHOICE FOR COLLEGE BASKETBALL'S PLAYER OF THE YEAR? WALL? TURNER? COUSINS? WES JOHNSON?

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

Can We Get A Do Over? Lets Re-Draft...

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 15:39:00 +0000

There are certain things that you probably don't want to see when your favorite team is highlighted on ESPN's Bottom Line, you know things like...Player X is suspended for 20 games for trafficking cocaine. Player Y is suspended for playing with guns in the locker room. Player Z has been injured while slipping in the shower. Stuff like that.

However, if you were a fan of the Memphis Grizzlies, I know you weren't expecting to see this when you made your #2 pick in the NBA Draft last summer...

The Memphis Grizzlies are sending No. 2 overall pick Hasheem Thabeet to the D-League's Dakota Wizards, the team announced on Thursday. For even more hilarity, Grizzlies coach Lionel Hollins announced earlier this week that second-year center Hamed Haddadi of Iran would begin receiving Thabeet's minutes behind starting center Marc Gasol.

Yeah, folks in the twitter world would call that an #epicfail.

So lets become delusional for a second and see if we can right some wrongs for the Grizzlies (and the KNICKS for goodness sakes) and lets redraft the top 10 picks in the 2009 NBA Draft. With the 1st pick of the 2009 NBA Re-Draft...the Los Angeles Clippers select...

#1. Blake Griffin, Oklahoma - Los Angeles Clippers: This is still the right pick for the Clippers, of course you know it might've been helpful to let Blake get that surgery early on so that he could've helped the Clippers this season instead of being OUT for the entire season. Again, we would call that an #epicfail.

#2. Ricky Rubio, Spain - Memphis Grizzlies: At 6'5", he would've been an IDEAL selection for the Grizzlies, who already have OJ Mayo, Rudy Gay, and Zach Randolph who can score. Plus, with Marc Gasol on the team the Grizzlies would've had a Spanish influence on the team as well. Rubio is a phenomenal distributor, a true floor leader, and could've taken an already talented squad to new heights. Put it another way, who DOES NOT become a fan of the Grizzlies? Exactly. So in conclusion, #epicfail to the Grizzlies, and #epicfail for Minnesota drafting him AND Johnny Flynn, then not even trying to sign him. I'll get to this later.

#3. James Harden, Arizona State - Oklahoma City Thunder: It would be EXTREMELY tempting to take Tyreke Evans for OKC here at #3, as he's virtually the same size as Harden and a better offensive threat. However, for what OKC needed to fill out their team, Harden fits better. He's a better distributor, he actually plays defense, and he's a better shooter. Plus, his beard automatically makes the Thunder much much tougher.

(Ok...yes, I'm talking myself into this Harden pick. If I could do it over I would definitely take Evans or Curry here at #3. Sue me.)

#4. Tyreke Evans, Memphis - Sacramento Kings: No brainer, this was the right pick then and I think a redraft would keep Evans at #4. Maybe. OKC would have to strongly consider having Evans just play the 2, right? The only question I have is would the Kings have had an opportunity to make a different move dealing with Kevin Martin or maybe coming up with a better gameplan using the two together.

#5. Brandon Jennings, Italy - Minnesota Timberwolves: In the first of their two picks back to back, they originally went with Rubio here. If you're going to get the playmaker PG then you've got to go Jennings here. With Al Jefferson and Kevin Love down low they've got the frontline good to go. They need a playmaker, Jennings gets it done. Now their next pick is what baffles me, Jonny Flynn? Really? Why? Makes no sense. Therefore...with the 6th pick.

#6. Terrance Williams, Louisville - Minnesota Timberwolves: They could still go with Wayne Ellington at the #28 pick in the draft, so they could go a lot of places here. They could've went to Stephen Curry on this pick as well but that is a MINISCULE backcourt and I'd think you've got to go with the player with the most upside. Williams is probably the 2nd best athlete in the draft and with other scoring threats on the team could open up more opportunities on the squad.

#7. Stephen Curry, Davidson - Golden State Warriors: Yeah, lock it up.

#8. Ty Lawson, North Carolina - New York Knicks: This just makes the most sense. To think that the Knicks passed on Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Eric Maynor, Darren Collison, or Jrue Holidy to take Jordan Hill, who has already been traded, kind of speaks for itself. The Knicks cheated their fans on taking hill, and a speedy PG with the mind to distribute in D'Antoni's offense would be a great production.

#9. Omri Casspi, Israel - Toronto Raptors: Just makes much more sense to get a versatile player who can immediately come in and play the 2 or the 3. Plus, with the international flair which is The T-Dot (shoutout to @ReeReePhillips) and Casspi's overseas background would make him a fan favorite up North. Plus, he would actually be playing right now, versus Demar DeRozan who's probably still missing hanging out in Lil Romeo's crew.

#10. Eric Maynor, VCU - Milwaukee Bucks: They still needed a point guard, and now that almost all the great potential floor leaders have already been taken you've got to get the last bonafide killa in the draft. Maynor is pretty much a legend to any hoop head across the nation. We all saw what he did to Duke. The Bucks still win I believe with Maynor versus Jennings.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? How would you draft the top 10? Let us know your thoughts!

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

Who You Believe In?

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 14:33:00 +0000

Reading Ed’s post about the fall of UNC yesterday had an effect on me, and still does at this moment. You look around the college basketball landscape, and see plenty of teams with one or two losses, but are they teams you really expect to win the national championship? This is one of those seasons where, if you haven’t been paying close attention to college ball, you better start now. With the exception of Kansas and Kentucky, the field is wide open. Even with those teams being 1 and 2, and continuing to find ways to win, we know all it takes is an off night, and next thing you know, they'll be at the house, too.

By now, we all see how Kentucky is performing in their first year of the Calipari Era, and the reasons for their success vary. Some people look at John Wall and attribute the majority of him on his play, but others, such as thetillshow, make sure to give ample credit to DeMarcus Cousins and Patrick Patterson as well. Regardless, when is the heat gonna be turned up on Calipari to win a ‘chip? I love the guy, but isn’t the time now? Kentucky’s got everything going for them, but what happens if they fall short this year? Hopefully, The Ghost of Missed Free Throws Past won’t come back to haunt his team this year, even though the Wildcats, just like those previous Memphis Tigers teams, can’t shoot ‘em worth a damn either.

You can say similar things about Kansas, but the glaring difference is their experience. The cornerstones of their team have been around for a few years, so if they’re able to make another run, there won’t be any nervousness or fear, whatsoever. You’re gonna just have to beat them, and with a team led by Sherron “The Chitown Killa” Collins, and Cole Aldrich, they’re more than fine. Throw in the Morris twins, Morningstar, and young Xavier Henry, and you’ve got a team ready to win their second national title in three years.

After that, it gets interesting with Purdue, Syracuse, and Duke. Purdue’s been building for this moment for the past few seasons, so their run isn’t as big a shock to me, as it may be to others. Still though, when you think of Final Four, do you think of the Boilermakers? We know what Syracuse is capable of, and they’re certainly battle-tested from being in the Big East, but when you look and see that, for all the Big East’s success, they haven’t won the national championship since 2004, are they gonna be the team to bring the ‘chip back? There's no question how much I hate Duke, but they have a legit three-headed monster, with Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, and one of the only Duke players I've ever liked in life, Jon Scheyer. What about Villanova, or Georgetown? Villanova’s got all the pieces to make the run, but let our buddy The Reverend Paul Revere tell it, they have just as many reasons they can easily disappoint as well. Georgetown’s my team, and while I like what we have, we also have only one real ballhandler, it makes my hopes of us making a run diminish. On top of that, we have our moments when we don’t show up for games we have absolutely no business losing.

So the question goes back to the title of the post; who you believe in? You only have a few weeks left to make a case for a squad; because once the Madness hits that third Thursday in March…it’s on.

Be easy.
-K. Masenda
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/

A Wall of Pride Leaves Tar Heel Nation Feeling "Blue"

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Wed, 24 Feb 2010 15:19:00 +0000

Feeling Blue (idiom) - Feeling unwell, mainly associated with depression or unhappiness.

Depends on what type of Blue you prefer. If you are a fan of Tar Heel Blue, then yes, the definition applies. If you feeling Kentucky Blue...then you're feeling pretty darn good.

Moreover, if you are a fan of Tar Heel Blue, then I truly believe you should be seeing Red after some of the decisions your head coach Roy Williams made prior to the 2009-10 NCAA Men's Basketball season.

Roy Williams: John Wall 'just didn't fit' with UNC program.

WTF.

(From the Durham Herald-Sun) North Carolina coach Roy Williams said Friday he's not surprised how quickly Kentucky freshman John Wall has established himself as one of the top players in nation. After all, Wall is the best point guard Williams has seen out of high school since nine-time NBA All-Star Jason Kidd in 1991. "There's not a lot that you couldn't like [about him]," Williams said.

So you're saying you could've recruited the next Jason Kidd, plus you KNEW that you were losing All-American point guard Ty Lawson and shooting guard Wayne Ellington and you passed on him? Wait...you never even OFFERED him a scholarship?

After Kentucky beat North Carolina 68-66 in December, you could definitely say that the win provided a redemption of sorts for Wall, who oh by the way is BORN AND RAISED in Raleigh, North Carolina. His dream growing up as a child was, wait for it...to play for the Tar Heels. UNC pursued him throughout high school, the Tar Heels never offered him a scholarship.

To his credit, John Wall has come out and said publicly he's over it. However his roommate and backcourt mate Eric Bledsoe came out and told the truth. “That’s all he talked about when we’d go back to the room,” Bledsoe said of the days leading up to the game. “John wanted this game (versus UNC) real bad.”

So now we reassess the situation, North Carolina is 3-9 in the ACC...yes, you read that correctly. Their record is 14-13 on the season. They have lost their best frontcourt player in Ed Davis for the remainder of the season, but still have an elite frontcourt. Yet, they have no shooters...no one to penetrate...and really no one to even bring the ball up. Essentially, they are without a leader and a playmaker. When in the hell can you ever remember UNC not having either one of those?

We all know the deal about Kentucky, 26-1 overall record and 11-1 in the SEC. Coached by the loquacious John Calipari, he would never let something as trivial as a player being "overly cocky" stop him from recruiting him. In truth, Calipari is setting the precedent that every great point guard in America should come thru Calipari-land. When your last 3 great PGs are now Derrick Rose, Tyreke Evans, and John Wall. You're gonna win. (Think about this...Calipari stole Rose from Chicago, which is Big 10 country. Evans out of Chester, PA. Hello? Villanova, Pitt? Then they got John Wall out of North Carolina! HELLO! Duke? UNC? NC State? Wake Forest? Calipari's a genius with ~~wads of cash in his pockets~~ calculated recruiting chess moves.)

Here's my thing, the blame for all of this has to go squarely on Roy Williams...and his friends/coaching staff. As a friend, you'd never let your best friend totally stiff-arm a woman who is a certified 10 and who ACTUALLY likes your friend, right? Well, not only should Roy be scorned for his decision, but his assistant coaches need to walk the plank. Shame on them for not speaking up in the coaches meetings, Roy you need new friends.

Doesn't it make perfect sense? You already have an elite frontcourt...put John Wall on North Carolina RIGHT NOW and tell me UNC doesn't have AT LEAST 25 wins and is definitely fighting for a #1 seed. You see, having that great player in the college game makes all of the players around you better. (See the effect Blake Griffin leaving has had on Willie Warren...oh wait, you forgot who Willie Warren was? My point exactly.) Larry Drew would know his role, so would Will Graves. Harrison Barnes doesn't get there until 2010-11 so no help from him. The frontcourt players would go even harder (pause) for Wall because they'd know they're getting the ball and they would play even harder as a unit.

That opportunity could've happened, but it didn't. You know what opportunity UNC does have?

N-I-T.

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

Be sure to check out ETSF Radio tonight at 9pm ET! Click the link to setup a reminder to listen in tonight or call-in at 347-850-1222! http://is.gd/95vH6

Top Ten Wrestlers/Entertainers in my Lifetime

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 09:53:00 +0000

Something happened last night that was totally unplanned. On Twitter, Ed made a statement about The Million Dollar Man being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, which to say, is long overdue (I hate calling it WWE; it’ll always be WWF, in my opinion). After that, several people made statements about the greatness of Ted Dibiase, and it led to even more statements about old-school wrestling, who was the best wrestler of all-time, the best face, best heel, who had the best interviews, and even more. After over an hour of debates, arguing, shouting, and carrying on, the idea came to make this post.

Basically, this post is made up of my opinion of who the greatest wrestlers/entertainers of all-time are. Keep in mind that I am 27 years old, which means I am listing people that I can make an argument for, and stand behind it, because I actually saw them when they were great. They have to possess both qualities; for example, I have Bret Hart on this list, but he’s nowhere near the top, because his entertainment value was definitely the lowest of the ten on here, but he was arguably the best wrestler. Feel free to put your feet up, pop in a DVD, a videotape, and enjoy. There are sure to be rampant disagreements, which will make this even more fun.

10. Mr. Perfect - great wrestler, great entertainer, great manager, great commentator, great theme music, great interviews. He helped Bret Hart become the Hitman, via their match at Summerslam '91. He may be the greatest wrestler of all-time who was never the WWF Heavyweight Champion.

9. Sting - transformed himself from high-flyer in early days, into The Crow. Live as hell, even though he didn’t talk once he became The Crow; so-so interviews, but he was so crunk that it didn’t matter; had he gone to WWF, his legend would be even greater.

8. The Undertaker – when The Undertaker first came on the scene, he literally scared the hell out of me. I remember him giving Hogan the Tombstone on a steel chair at ’91 Survivor Series, and yelling at the screen, but not too loud, because I was still scared of him (by the way, The Undertaker is THE ONLY wrestler who should ever be allowed to do a Tombstone Piledriver). He’s probably the greatest big man I’ve ever seen wrestle, and can honestly go with anyone, whether they are giants like him (Kane, Diesel, Yokozuna, Giant Gonzalez), or smaller guys (HBK, Hitman). His Hell in the Cell match against Mankind in 1998 is one of the most brutal matches the WWF has ever had. The Undertaker v. Undertaker build-up, from Royal Rumble ‘94 to Summerslam, is some of the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen. He lost me when he went gothic, but won me back with the Deadman, Inc. thing (that was live as hell). I don’t know how anyone could ever disrespect this man’s greatness. He’s more than proven his gangsta, and is a certifiable legend in the game.

7. Bret Hart - probably best in-ring wrestler out of the ten; the more I think about it, he’s the Tim Duncan of professional wrestling. In the 90’s, you can make the case that he was the best wrestler of the decade. He was a monstrous tag-team partner, who became an even greater singles wrestler; made bums look good, good ones look great, and great ones look epic. His beatdown of Stone Cold at WM13 is legendary, but here’s why I can’t rank The Hitman higher. When he was in the ring with another great wrestler of near-equal skills (HBK and Flair), their entertainment value was so much higher than the Hitman’s, that it’s virtually impossible to ignore.

6. Stone Cold Steve Austin – Stone Cold is easily the crunkest wrestler of all-time. Before that, he was live in WCW, when he was half of The Hollywood Blondes, with Brian Pillman. For most wrestling fans though, we were all on some Stone Cold. He pretty much ran the WWF for a period of the 90s, and went up against the best the game had to offer. If it wasn’t for him getting dropped on his neck at Summerslam ’97, his career wouldn’t have been short-circuited.

5. The Rock – I’ll proudly say that The People’s Champ is my favorite combination of wrestler/entertainer of all-time, and as much as I love Savage, I got even more love for The Great One. When he did away with Rocky Maivia and became The Rock, I was immediately sold. He was off-the-chain when he was in the Nation of Domination, and got even better when he went all by himself. He was the best damn Intercontinental Champion there ever was (even though The Honky Tonk Man is the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all-time), and I still hate Chyna for ruining a match that was on pace to be as good as the second Shawn Michaels-Razor Ramon Ladder Match, with The Rock-HHH at Summerslam ‘98. He gave the greatest promos, made his opponents look like chumps, and raised the bar, in terms of straight entertainment value in the late-90’s to the early 00’s. This dude held the crowd in the palm of his hand. It’s pretty amazing stuff, when you go back and see what this man was pulling off. I could talk about The Rock all day, but I will stop here.

4. HBK – I know my boy Carlos will kill me for this, but in my opinion, HBK is right where he should be. Initially, I had him behind The Rock and Stone Cold, but the more I thought about it, I had to move him above the two of them, because, if nothing else, he’s still going strong right now. I can’t think of any glaring weaknesses he has. He is the showstopper, the Icon, the man who had this LIVE, LIVE, LIVE press conference, pre-Wrestlemania XI.

His super-kick of Marty Jannetty through the Barbershop Window ranks as one of the biggest Benedict Arnold acts of all-time, yet it was beyond brilliant. He helped make Ladder Matches and Hell in the Cell matches off-the-chain (even though Mankind-Undertaker took it to another level). He was the first wrestler, if I remember correctly, to start the Royal Rumble at number one, and win that joint. Shawn Michaels was great, and still is great, no question.

3. Hulk Hogan – honestly, if you’re a responsible wrestling fan my age, you have to have Hogan in the top-three. You absolutely have to. The man was to wrestling in the ‘80s, as Jordan was to basketball in the ‘90s, in terms of sheer visibility. He headlined SEVEN Wrestlemanias in a row (from Wrestlemania III to Wrestlemania IX). Even when he wasn’t the main event, he found a way to make his way in the biggest match (helping Savage win Wrestlemania IV, and stealing Yokozuna’s moment at Wrestlemania IX), had memorable moments, matches, you name it. I don’t even like Hogan like that, but there’s no denying the man’s contribution to the game.

2. Macho Man Randy Savage – I promise I wanted to put Macho Man as the best wrestler/entertainer of all-time. Last night, I kept saying aloud “Macho Man is the greatest wrestler of all-time” over and over, and when it was time to write this post, I STILL put Macho Man number two. I’ll admit it; I just don’t have the guts to put him ahead of Flair. That would be irresponsible of me to do, but I’ll definitely put him above everyone else. For anyone who disputes this, please look at what Savage was up against, in the mid-to-late 80’s. He had to deal with a phenomenon known as Hulkamania, and honestly, it wasn’t even fair. He won what is, to this day, the greatest tournament of all-time, the tournament for the vacant WWF Heavyweight Championship at Wrestlemania IV. It’s bad enough he lost at Wrestlemania V to Hogan, but then he was further insulted by having to lay down for The Ultimate Warrior in The Retirement Match at Wrestlemania VII. On top of that, his Wrestlemania III match with The Dragon was legendary! But even in defeat, you remember the Macho King (remember, he lost Wrestlemania III, V, and VII). He was the first one to have a true dime as his manager, with Miss Elizabeth, and after that, he made Scary Sherri live. He was a great hero, and an even better villain. The Macho King could do it all in the ring, and cut some of the greatest promos the wrestling business has ever seen. The man went on Arsenio Hall, and got his shine on, for God sake! Granted, other wrestlers did too, but that aint the point. If there’s one human being I’d literally lose my damn mind by seeing in person, it would be Randy Savage.

1. The Nature Boy Ric Flair – The Nature Boy is The G.O.A.T. Period.

Honorable Mention: Ravishing Rick Rude and The Million Dollar Man (there were better wrestlers, but they were definitely a couple of my favorites of the old days).

Who are your favorite wrestlers/entertainers of all-time??? Get at us!

Be easy.
-K. Masenda
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/

Two Years In The Game, Ain't A D@mn Thang Changed...

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Mon, 22 Feb 2010 14:29:00 +0000

Its been an interesting journey to today. Two years ago yesterday, this thing we call "Ed The Sports Fan" began its destiny.

Its kind of interesting that when I went to bed last night, "Finding Forrester" was playing on my television. (By the way, I think any sports writer or sports blogger has to think that "Finding Forrester" is one of their favorite movies of all-time.) Its almost fitting, that a movie which strikes such an interesting parallel between basketball and writing has such a meaning to me an my own life.

You see, sports has always been a true love of my life. I can thank my Grandfather and my Uncle Bill for that. Yet, my appreciation for this came across as something only verbal, or in a sense within a person's presence. That was cool, that's all that I knew. To watch football from Thursday to Monday was normal. Staying up to 11 or 12 o'clock a night to watch Pac-10 basketball was ordinary. Reading box scores of Braves games when I was little was just...something I did.

Yet, it took for someone to lose their job to truly bring a writer's element to one's appreciation for sport.

In January of 2008, I was given a choice. A choice in either staying or going. One that meant moving somewhere really cold, really far North, really really far away from family, and...well, that was just something I couldn't do. So I left my career job and a brother had some free time. (That's what a severance package will do for you) And free time can be a dangerous thing, or a beautiful thing. In my case, I like to consider it something truly clandestine lol...

I remember watching games on television, watching ESPN's continuous loop of sports programming (which makes me glad I have a job at times), and listening to sports talk radio. It made me realize that I have a voice, and that voice was something a tad more reflective of the sports heads that I know. Is it me or sometimes do you feel when watching Mike & Mike, Around The Horn, PTI, Best Damn Sports Show, or your favorite sportstalk radio show that NO ONE UNDERSTANDS HOW YOU TRULY FEEL ABOUT SOMETHING?

I know I can't be the only one that feels this way...can a brother get an Amen?

So, I started ETSF as a way to get some things off my chest. From what started as a rant-filled blog and someone who tried to put together reasonable (ridiculous) theories, storylines, and explanations...some of you began to listen. I never intended to really promote my site, but it kinda grew organically.

Then, I remember meeting Mr. Soul On Ice...Kenny Masenda. The livest facebook sports head of all time.

Kenny by far had some of the greatest facebook sports notes of all-time. I remember being lightweight captivated by some of it. Dude would have like 137 comments about random statements of who has more juice, Kobe or LeBron? Or huge debates on who was going to win between Oklahoma and Texas in football. I knew that his voice had the same passion as mine, and the bond began on ETSF and beyond.

So if you wonder why we don't blabber on and on about Tiger Woods sex scandals, Favre-a-palooza (we only refer to him as "Lorenzo" round these parts), Danica Patrick, and allegations of "performing-enhancing drugs" is...well, honestly we don't care. None of that has anything to do with what's going on between the lines, yet you see the media hypebeasts continually talk and talk about it and we really don't understand what any of that has to do with who's gonna get mollywhopped on a given day on the field.

What is a fan? A fan is someone who's a fanatic, yet its funny in that I would never consider myself a "fanatic" of sports. As Dr. Harry Edwards said, "I take my sports a little too serious to be considered a fanatic."

So consider yourself a connoisseur of athletic competition, and believe in that title. That's who we are, and that's who we'll always be. So on behalf of Kenny & B-Lew as well, I want to personally say thank you for supporting us. Two years ago, I would've never been able to dream the type of support and opportunities that have opened up from just telling people how I feel about this reality television we call sports. Thank you and Godspeed.

If you have some free time, read up on some of the more captivating articles in ETSF history, definitely will make you laugh, cry, and curse us out. LOL.

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

The NBA Trade Deadline Should be a National Holiday

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 12:07:00 +0000

Trades, expiring contracts, players moving (some being moved multiple times), and future draft picks galore. Admittedly, the NBA trade deadline is something that’s always given attention around these parts, but it’s hard to remember one that was as busy as this one. For me, it started last weekend, while I was on my way to my 7:30 AM Saturday morning American Community College class (yes, school on an early Saturday; it’s the devil), and the Wizards and Mavericks made moves to swap players, with the main pieces being Josh Howard, Brendan Haywood, and Caron Butler. Butler has always been my dude, so it was a thrill to know he was coming to Dallas. To be honest, if that was the highlight of the trade deadline, there would have been no complaints from me, but things were just getting started.

Another thing that made this one crazier was how it was being covered. This was the first time my participation in the trade deadline was done via Twitter (hell, was Twitter even around last year?), so when things were happening, it was coming through by the second. When T-Mac was rumored to head to Sacramento, I found out through Twitter, courtesy of StilettoJill and ShirleyHuangESQ around Thursday at midnight. When other trades were coming through, the news came, once again, via Twitter, courtesy of thetillshow, AngryBlkManDC, and other folks I follow and interact with every single day. As a matter of fact, today was the first time that I didn’t have to turn on ESPN, ESPN News, or any sports show to keep up with everything. It was all on Twitter. Shoot, the excitement was reminiscent of the first two days of March Madness, which I’ve been screaming for years should be a national holiday. Hell, no one does any work on those first two days anyway, and with the way this trade deadline was poppin’, it wouldn’t be a huge shock if productivity was down all day long.

Recapping every trade would be counter-productive, but there is one worth mentioning, as well as two folks who ended up staying put. T-Mac going to the Knicks had to be done; if nothing else, it was time for McGrady to get out of Houston, but it sucks he’s nothing more than an expiring contract, when, at one time, he was one of the top players in all of basketball. Of course, there was the usual water-cooler “Amare’s gonna go here,” or “Amare’s gonna go there” talk, and it ended up with him not going any damn where. Ray Allen’s name got tossed around like a bad habit as well, just to see him stay put, and put up 24 points against the Lake Show last night.

This year’s trade deadline should get anyone who wasn’t already excited about basketball season in full mode now. There’s no reason to still be on the fence, simply because there was that much excitement from All-Star weekend, up to 3 PM, Eastern Time yesterday. To be honest, all these moves weren’t necessarily done to make everyone better today, or to win a championship, or to make a playoff push, and that’s not even important to me right now. The fact that the NBA had some true action during the trade deadline made it more than worthwhile, and hopefully, the others can be like this, for years to come.

Be easy.
-K. Masenda
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/

SLAM Exclusive: Pau Gasol Is the MVP of the Lakers

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 22:52:00 +0000

**Ed has struck an opportunity wtih SLAM Magazine to begin blogging/contributing to SLAM Online as of last week. Thanks for your continued support!**

And its not even close.

Shoutout to Kenny for saying I didn’t have “the huevos” to write this story, but in actuality it’s something that’s needed to be said for years.

We all witnessed the spark of an interesting debate on Saturday night, as the good folks over at TNT raised some eyebrows in the response of the “fans” saying that Kobe Bryant was the NBA Player of the Decade.

By a resounding margin, Kobe was voted No. 1, capturing 54 percent of the vote. This leads me to believe that only Laker Stans voted in this poll. Charles Barkley, who after hearing that the vote skewed heavily to Kobe, said that “the fans don’t know anything” and said that Shaquille O’Neal should be the Player of the Decade. Then all of the other TNT panelists said the exact same thing.

Pretty resounding, isn’t it? The fans vote Kobe the Player of the Decade, yet Shaq won just as many titles as Kobe, Shaq was the preeminent force on those 2000-03 Lakers teams while Kobe was gradually growing in his role as Robin. Shaq leaves forced beyond his will Los Angeles and the Lakers go into the tank as Kobe can only take those teams to the bottom of the playoff bracket.

Enter Pau Gasol.

Hold up Ed, you’re not saying Pau Gasol is as good as Shaquille O’Neal are you?

Of course not.

READ MORE OF THIS POST AT SLAM ONLINE...

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

Is Kevin Durant the Best Player Ever At Age 21?

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 14:23:00 +0000

Is Kevin Durant the best basketball player ever at 21 years of age? Better than LeBron? Better than MJ? Better than Magic?

We raised this question last night on ETSF Radio and the debate got extremely heated and spilled over to Kenny's and Ed's twitter pages. Truth be told, the initial question that Kenny raised was who is now in the elite...either Carmelo Anthony or Kevin Durant.

Then Ed made what some would say is the most blasphemous statement in basketball history. Others would say that the kid might be onto something...

I can't take credit for being the first one to bring this up, Vince Thomas from SLAM Magazine brought it up with Bomani Jones back on Monday and it was a very interesting conversation. Click on the picture below to see a statistical breakout of the four players listed below.

You all know I'm a big fan of KD35 so I'll try to not be a homer here. The point I made last night was that there hasn't been a player since KD who has come into the league with a more refined game than his. He is an elite scorer at the truest level, especially when you start to look at the games that each of the four players had. LeBron, Magic, and MJ relied heavily on finishing at the rim and shooting within 15 feet. Durant's game stretches all the way to half-court damn near. Durant's averaging 30 and 8 per game, all while shooting 48% from the field, 38% from the 3-point line, and 88% from the free throw line. For someone who's known as a perimeter player, he also gets to the line 10 times a game and is #1 in free throws made this season. In his 3rd year, he's become much less of a defensive liability, all while getting a block & steal per game.

In theory, that definition of why Kevin Durant is the best basketball player at 21 would've been enough. However, now in his 3rd season and he's carrying an extremely young OKC Thunder team to the #6 seed in the horrendously deep Western Conference. The things Durant's doing in his 3rd season is truly remarkable.

Now, with that being said...I didn't write this article last night. I wrote it early this morning. I needed to sleep on it and do some research.

Kevin Durant and LeBron James are tied.

LeBron put up a stupid 31, 7, and 7 at age 21. The 7 assists per game is a remarkable achievement. (However, it ain't Durant's fault that the general management drafted an actual PG for the Thunder in Russell Westbrook, while LeBron was stuck with Eric Snow) The disparity of LeBron's assists versus Durant's overall shooting excellence brings them equal. You could even argue that Durant is more clutch than LeBron was at 21 as well. However, LeBron's Cavaliers finished with a 50-32 record and was a #4 seed in the East. In the next season, LeBron took the Cavs to the NBA Finals.

Magic's case is interesting as he put up a 22, 9, and 9 in 1980-81. The only person to legitimately get EXTREMELY close to get to averaging a triple-double for the season. Magic was nowhere near a shooter that MJ, LeBron, or Durant was at all, and didn't get to the line near as much either. However, Magic also AVERAGED 3.4 steals a game, which is an absurd number. Now at the same time...he did have Kareem, Norm Nixon, and a litany of other stars on that squad. Plus, he helped win a title for the Lakers at 21. Huge accomplishment.

Now we get to Jordan, who in his '84-85 season Jordan posted a 28, 7, and 6 season. Jordan was limited as a 3-point shooter but generally was an overall very good shooter. Not better than Durant, but was more reliable at the line than LeBron and Magic, and he get to the line 9 times a game. Moreover, Jordan's leap onto this pedestal is boosted by the fact that Jordan was an elite defender at age 21. MJ lead Chicago to a #7 seed with a 38-44 record.

You could legitimately make a case for all 4, Durant's only flaw against the other 3 is that he doesn't distribute the ball. LeBron had the most inconsistent jumper at 21. Magic had an elite team around him in 1980-81. Michael didn't have the 3-ball to stretch defenses out. Just something to think about.

WHO'S YOUR PICK AT AGE 21?

-Ed.
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/

What The Hell Happened To The Pac-10?

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 14:21:00 +0000

I'm just going to give you a list of names real quick, bear with me.

Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Eddie House, Harold Miner, Brandon Roy, Jason Terry, Baron Davis, Brent Barry, Kyle Weaver, Brevin Knight, Luke Ridnour.

10 prominent basketball players representing each school in the Pac-10 when I grew up. It took me all of 38 seconds to think of these players names when I thought about the school.

The question is, could you name 10 players PERIOD from the Pac-10 right now?

(Waiting...)

(Don't cheat, don't Google...don't look on Wikipedia either)

I think you get my point.

As of February 17th there is not a Pac-10 represented team in the AP Top 25 polls. This is coming from a conference who has 2 historical basketball programs (UCLA, Arizona) and 5 programs who have consistently been pretty good in years past. (Washington, Oregon, Stanford, Arizona State, Cal) Then you have USC, who should be the a prime destination for a major college basketball powerhouse (I don't care if UCLA is down the road) yet they have been flashes in the pan at best. Oregon State and Washington State have had random years of excellence but have consistently stayed in the cellar of the Pac-10.

Well guess what, everyone in the Pac-10 might as well be in the cellar.

Its a sad state of affairs for me personally, as I'm a HAYOOGE Arizona fan. From back in the days of Steve Kerr, Kenny Lofton, Sean Elliott, Jud Buechler and Co. to the Arenas, Jason Gardner, Michael Wright, Richard Jefferson, and Eugene Edgerson (Globetrotters stand up) days. To Jason Terry single-handedly carrying AZ to a Final Four. However, most importantly...The Light Skinned Coalition Signature Series All-Time Team aka The 1997 Arizona Wildcats team featuring: Mike Bibby, Miles Simon, AJ Bramlett, and Bennett Davison were definitely holding it down for the LSC. Plus, Michael Dickerson was a killer on that '97 squad. Plus Jason Terry was the 6th man on that team and they were truly dynamic. That team was the first team to ever beat 3 #1 seeds on its way to becoming National Champions.

Now look at Arizona, 7-6 conference record and 13-12 overall. Pitiful.

Look at UCLA, 6-6 conference record and 11-13 overall. WTF.

The fact that the conference leader is Cal and their record is only 17-8 should let you know that there's a real problem around those Western parts. They got destroyed at the 2K Sports Classic in New York by Syracuse and Ohio State, and their best non-conference win is against Princeton. Yep, Princeton.

Now, I'm not going to completely destroy the Pac-10, they do got a couple of killers on the court. Jerome Randle (Chi-town stand up) from Cal will be a nice PG in the league as he's getting 20 & 5 easy right now. Landry Fields from Stanford is a nice wing (6'7", 215) who's putting up 22 & 8 right now for a horrid Stanford team. Same goes for Quincy Pondexter and Isaiah Thomas (yep, that's his real name) holding it down for U-Dubb as they're getting 20 & 17 per game respectively.

But seriously, there's just not a lot of nice things to say about this conference right now. For the simple fact that the Mountain West is decidedly better than the Pac-10 is crazy. (Go look at New Mexico, BYU, San Diego State and UNLV then get back to me.) How the hell did we get here? What will it take for the west coast powerhouses to get it together? Maybe they need to bring in BYU and Gonzaga into the Pac-10 and make it a 12 team league. Just a thought.

The world is a better place with the Pac-10 being strong in college basketball, as it stands right now...Cal might be going to the dance without a date.

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

The Last of a Dying Breed: Centers in the NBA

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 13:39:00 +0000

Many moons ago, true centers roamed the earth and wreaked havoc on basketball courts. There were so many that you really couldn't see the day coming when they would become extinct. However, the more I watch basketball today, the less centers come across the tube. A few years ago, Shaquille O’Neal, aka The Big Aristotle, prophesized that he was the last center left, and even for me, someone who grew up seeing true, dominant centers play in the NBA, I laughed off what the man said. Now you look around, and see what The Big Homie said was true. Sure, there are some good ones, but are there truly any killers left at the center position?

Before Yao Ming got hurt, I had him as the best center in basketball. The man could score with jumpers, as well as true post moves. He could rebound well enough, and could protect the basketball well enough. On top of that, he was the one cat who I could see playing and surviving in the 1990’s, the days when the center position was truly what that was. Now that he’s hurt, I’ve given the title to Big Al Jefferson, which may seem a little over-the-top for some people, but I’m convinced if he wasn’t on a bum-ass team, more people would realize how much of a monster the man really is. He shoots a high percentage, can rebound, and has about a million old-man post moves. Those are the only two names that come to mind when I think of centers that can be dominant in today’s NBA.

Now having a dominant big man doesn’t gift-wrap a championship for you, but we can look back and see what it did do, when a team had one. The Lakers won three rings in a row, from 2000-2002, when The Big Homie was anchoring the middle. On top of that, he went through countless centers that, if not great, were all pretty darn good. Cats like Arvydas Sabonis, Vlade Divac, Rik Smits, David Robinson, and Mount Mutombo. Imagine if the centers in today’s NBA were even as good as these guys. It could possibly make the difference between a team being good, and a team winning a championship. Before the Lakers, Houston repeated in ’94 and ’95, and we all remember what Hakeem Olajuwon did to opposing centers in his day. Patrick Ewing, The Admiral, and even Young Shaq didn’t have a shot in hell in dealing with The Dream back then. Not even close.

Look at today’s NBA, and ask this question: is there’s one center, even one, that puts the fear of God in anybody when they get on the court? Is there even one? Dwight Howard leads the league in rebounds and blocks, but to this day, I don’t think people fear him as a basketball player. Freak of nature, yes. Monstrous athlete, absolutely. But when you see him, do you think of him as a dominant center? Same with Marcus Camby, Joakim Noah, Kendrick Perkins, Andrew Bogut, Andrew Bynum, and the list goes on. They’re all good centers, but would you build a team around any of these dudes? I understand they do what their teams need them to do, which, in actuality, is all that should matter, but it’s still hard not to think back on the days when dominant centers were rampant. Back in the day, you could build a team around Ewing, Alonzo Mourning, The Admiral, The Dream, and Shaq. The only one that doesn’t have a ring is Patrick Ewing, but he played in the era of The Jordan.

Maybe it’s nostalgia setting in for me, seeing today’s NBA and being of the belief that if even one contender had a monster at the center position, they’d be in serious contention for the championship. If a contending team had that one player they could throw the ball to in the post, and let do work, they’d be hoisting the Larry O’Brien trophy in June. For now though, all that’s left to do is reminisce, and unless Yao comes back healthy, or Big Al gets a change of address, the days of seeing dominant centers on a regular basis are over.

Be easy.
-K. Masenda
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/

The NBA All-Star Weekend That Was...

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:14:00 +0000

This was supposed to be different.

NBA All-Star weekend came through to Dallas this year, and it was certainly memorable, but for reasons you wouldn’t expect. When I glanced out my window on Thursday morning at 7 AM and saw snow falling out of the sky, I didn’t pay it much attention. However, as it continued to fall, that should have set something set off right there. Mother Nature was trying to warn me that the weekend was gonna be as unconventional as ever, and it certainly was, just from the fact that I’ve never seen so much snow in my entire life. It’s safe to say the tone was set.

Also, I made a decision prior to the weekend that I would do absolutely nothing, in terms of parties, clubs, malls, or anything that would have me being sociable for the festivities. Maybe it was merely it being in my own city, because when it’s out of town, I love to road-trip, and see what’s good, but by doing this, it meant I would have to get total satisfaction from what was on TV. However, if I knew then what I know now, the clubs would’ve gotten all my money, the malls would have all been ran through, females would have been hollered at, and Lord knows what other shenanigans and tomfoolery would have occurred.

He Told Y’all: The Truth wins the three-point contest - People remember KG screaming “anything’s possible” at the top of his lungs, after the Celtics won the championship, but Paul Pierce screaming “I told y’alllllllllll,” after he won the Finals MVP was just as funny to me. Well, after winning the three-point contest on Saturday night, he screamed it again, and I laughed my balls off yet again. One of my boys, Carlos, has been singing the praises of Paul Pierce for years, and admittedly, I didn't fully accept it, until a couple of seasons ago. On top of that, he’s a severely underrated shooter. It's one thing to be able to score, but it's another to be able to shoot, and he can do both extremely well. He’s leading the league in three-point percentage, but I didn’t take him seriously as a three-point contestant on Saturday night. Of course, his victory speech with Cheryl Miller made it better, when he proclaimed himself as one of the greatest shooters in NBA history, but hey; I aint mad at him, even if it one of the more blasphemous statements ever uttered in recent memory.

The Hometown Boys Did Work
Had Dwyane Wade not won the MVP, Chris Bosh could have been the recipient. He had the numbers, and made some memorable plays as well. He also knocked down a couple of key free throws to clinch the game for the East. On the flip side, if the West pulled it out, Dirk would have won the award. Even with that, it was great to see Bosh, Dirk, and Deron Williams do work, and all with Dallas ties.

Wade for All-Star Game MVP - It’s no secret that Wade’s one of my favorite players in the entire league, but I did have my heart set on seeing Dirk or Deron win the MVP, but with Wade going nuts, as well as the East winning, it made perfect sense for him to receive the trophy. It seems like every time there’s a big stage, Wade reminds everyone how monstrous he really is, and since the Heat suck so bad, it’s even more important he uses this stage to give folks that reminder. Whether it’s the Olympics or All-Star games, he finds a way to do his thing, and when you have 28 points, 11 assists, six boards, and five steals, it was pretty much a done deal.

Inside the NBA Special
This was, by far, the highlight of the entire All-Star weekend programming. It came on Friday night, so it could have prevented folks from not being able to see it. There’s not one basketball fan, that I know of, that doesn’t like Inside the NBA, and in this special, they covered it all. From the Kenny Smith Jersey Retirement, to the Barkley-Bavetta footrace, to the endless pranks, the show covered it all. It’s hard to believe it’s already been ten years, but when they took things back in time, you can see how it has been.

The TNT Player of the Decade Voting is a Farce
As a connoisseur of basketball, it pains me to see what happens when something as prestigious as this is put in the hands of the fans. Now this term is being used loosely, because there’s an ardent refusal by me to be associated with the individuals who voted for this garbage. First off, Kobe got the player of the decade, and while I already think that’s a farce, the fact that he received 54% of the vote lets me know some sort of intervention is needed. On top of that, LeBron came in second! He didn't even play in the first three years, so how is that possible??? Now everyone on the Inside the NBA panel, with the exception of Ernie Johnson, had Shaq as the Player of the Decade. My pick is Tim Duncan, and there’s no way in life it should be anyone else but them. The breakdown of the picks was:

1) Kobe at 54% 2) The King at 17% 3) The Big Aristotle at 13% 4) Duncan at 8% 5) Nash at 5% 6) KG at 3%

Personally, my favorite player on this list is KG, and my favorite player of all-time is Iverson, and we see how this turned out, in regards to their standing with the casual fan. Even with that, there’s no gripe from me, in regards to them not being player of the decade. As for the Shaq thing, people need to get something straight. Shaq won three rings as the pit bull, while Kobe was the cocker spaniel of that squad, so how Kobe is above him is beyond me, when they have the same amount of rings, and Shaq has more Finals MVPs. Kobe Bryant is the best player in basketball right now, but he's not the best player of the decade. As a matter of fact, there’s no need to discuss it any further. Just know the TNT version is a crock of spit.

Be easy.
-K. Masenda
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/

Great Moments in All-Star History

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 14:20:00 +0000

The NBA...its FANNNNNNNN-TASTIC!

In growing up as a young little sports fan, I've always had a sincere appreciation for the NBA All-Star game. I honestly believe the NBA All-Star game does it right, it puts together the best weekend and they put on a show. The Slam Dunk Contest, the 3-point Shootout, the Rookie/Sophomore game, ~~the Shooting Stars competition~~, and the actual All-Star game.

Its sad because my two favorite players growing up were Shawn Kemp and Reggie Miller, and they led me astray. Never being able to win the Slam Dunk contest or the 3-Point shootout ~~or an NBA title~~ but one thing I miss is that all of the stars of the NBA were in these competitions. Nowadays...not so much.

Lets take a look back at some of the livest moments in All-Star weekend history.

1991, Craig Hodges Hits 19 In A Row - OK look, you ask anyone around my age and they know of Larry Bird and his legendary quip to the other competitors in the '86 3-point shootout, "Which one of you all's coming in 2nd?" However...EVERYONE in my generation knows who Craig Hodges is, simply because he was the only dude who was crunk about JUST the 3-point contest and that he was nearly unstoppable on Bulls vs. Blazers on Super Nintendo. Hodges hit 19-straight in the '91 All-Star game and literally put himself on the map.

1994, Isaiah "J.R." Rider Shows How The East Bay Does It - J.R. simply held it down in the '94 Slam Dunk contest in his newly appointed home city in Minneapolis. You see, Rider's from Oakland aka the East Bay and the legend that is Bay Area hoops is a story that I'll have to tell another day. However, when J.R. was ready to close the show he pulled out "The East Bay Funk Dunk" and showed that bringing it between the legs was a real possibility. (Sidebar - You don't understand how live this was back in '94. No one had ever seen it before. Probably the equivalent of going from the free throw line by Dr. J or Vince putting his elbow in the rim, amazing.)

2001, The Eastern All-Stars Finally Claim Victory - I swear I can't remember who's won each of the last 10 All-Star games, yet I can remember who won in 2001. The East had lost something like 13 in a row versus the West and throughout this game it looked like things weren't changing. The West had all the bigger players (Shaq, KG, Tim Duncan, Dirk, etc) and the East was absolutely dreadful in 2001.

Then possibly, the greatest game in the history of Allen Iverson and Stephon Marbury's career (slight joke) came to fruition, as Iverson made key steals and tough shots and Starbury was raining 3's like nobody's business. I remember rooting HARD for the East, I just found a way to hate the West in this All-Star game. ~~It was probably Kobe's fault~~ Watch and enjoy the last 3 minutes of this game.

By the way, fail on whoever in the NBA made the decision to get rid of the All-Star uniforms. Glad they brought them back.

Of course I left off TONS of moments, what are some of your favorite moments of All-Star weekend? Let us know your thoughts, and who do you have winning this weekend?

3-Point Shootout: Danilo Galinari, Knicks
Slam Dunk Contest: Shannon Brown, Lakers
Skills Competition: Derrick Rose, Bulls
All-Star Game: Eastern All-Stars (LeBron will win MVP)

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

The Window Has Slammed Shut

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Thu, 11 Feb 2010 09:53:00 +0000

After watching the Celtics lose another game they had no business losing last night, a revelation settled within me that’s been bubbling for the past month or so. It’s one that I’ve finally come to accept, despite the fact that one of my favorite players who ever lived, Kevin Garnett, is on the court. It’s one I’ve swallowed, despite the fact that Rajon Rondo has become a legitimate top-ten point guard in the entire league. It’s one I’ve come to accept, even with Kendrick Perkins becoming one of the better centers in the NBA. The fact of the matter is the three-year window I gave the Celtics to win championships has officially slammed shut. The locks are on, and the holes where windows used to be are now boarded up with the same nail gun Chris and Snoop used in The Wire (season four). Too many things would have to happen for the Celtics to win the championship this year; things which I’ve come to accept aren’t going to happen. So why has the window slammed shut on Boston now?

They Got Old - For one, to quote the narrator in Life, “they got old.” We all knew the team was originally built around Pierce/Garnett/Allen, and for the first year of them playing together, they stayed healthy, and stormed their way to the championship. They were on their way to the same thing last season, and then KG hurt his knee on a play that he and Rondo had run countless times. Once that happened, the wheels went out of alignment, and now, they’ve pretty much come off. Father Time doesn’t give a damn who you are. When he comes to visit, he takes no prisoners, and hardly anyone is immune to his presence. Think about it: KG’s missed time this year with a knee injury, as has Pierce, and Rasheed has missed time. Boston’s relying on their youngsters to keep them in the hunt, and while it’s good that they’ve improved, they need their old dogs to keep it together.

Other Teams Have Gotten Better - Secondly, and something that tends to happen in basketball, the teams who challenged them for the past few seasons have gotten significantly better. The best team in the East, record-wise, is Cleveland. After that, you’ve got Orlando and Atlanta. I’ve watched Orlando play, and I still think they’re not that good, but they’ve also beaten Boston the last two times they played. Atlanta is scary good, and anyone who saw them play Boston a couple of years ago in the playoffs should know this isn’t the same Hawks team from before. I don’t think anyone else (Toronto, Charlotte, Miami, and Chicago) can beat them in the playoffs, but I know the ones above them can, that’s for damn sure.

They Don’t Close Games Anymore - On top of that, Boston doesn’t finish games well anymore. What in the blue hell are they doing, losing games when they’re ahead by ten or more points in the fourth quarter? I’ve seen this happen enough to realize it’s not a coincidence. Teams aren’t scared of the Celtics anymore, and it’s showing at the worst of times for ‘em.

So how does Boston salvage their season? Wait, how does someone have the audacity to complain about a team who is 32-18 going into the All-Star break? Well, this is what happens when you watch the games, as opposed to watching the standings. The Celtics are 14 games above .500, but they aren’t playing championship-style basketball. Like I said earlier, they got old, teams got better, and they’re not finishing games well. There are whispers about making a move, but that’s what they did when they got Shelden Williams and Marquis Daniels, and those moves haven’t been worth the keys I’m hitting to type this post. At this point, they may be best riding it out. What is good for them is they’ve played together for a few years now, and are probably more optimistic than I am, meaning they feel they can turn it around with better play, and with the All Star break here, they can use some time to regroup. In a way, it’s good they remain confident, but for someone who sees the writing on the wall, it’s only delaying the inevitable. Here’s one team that had dreams of getting back to the top of the mountain, but will come up short. It’s better that I admit it now in February, as opposed to being sick about it in the playoffs. It was fun while it lasted, but the window has effectively been slammed shut on the Celtics to win a ring this year. The question now is…who’s gonna assume the throne in the East? We have a few more months to find out.

Be easy.
-K. Masenda
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/

Why The Colts Should Sign Brandon Marshall

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 15:31:00 +0000

Lets take a flashback to 2004...

In March of 2004, the Philadelphia Eagles were at a crossroads. They had an elite team, with a swarming defense and an offense who effectively matriculates the ball up and down the field. Donovan McNabb at this point had asserted himself as the best QB in the NFC, yet at that time besides do everything back Brian Westbrook, had ZERO weapons in the receiving core. I'm sorry but James ~~Trash~~ Thrash, Freddie ~~"Fraud"~~ Mitchell, and Todd ~~"I'm Made Out Of Balsam Wood"~~ Pinkston were not cutting it.

Philadelphia had to make a decision, because they were facing a more horrible fate only held prior by the Buffalo Bills, to go to the NFC Championship and LOSE 3 times in row. Something had to be done.

They went out and traded for Terrell Owens, and things changed for better and for worse for the Eagles.

We all know how this story ended, in 14 games magic was made in the City of Brotherly Love. Owens made life easy on McNabb, and with the pressure lifted off of Westbrook, Chad Lewis, and the other anemic wide receivers the unit turned into a powerhouse. An ankle injury from Owens almost derailed their season, yet McNabb and the Eagles defense got Philly to the Super Bowl, then T.O. miraculously pulled off one of the greatest performances in Super Bowl history. Missteps on defense and costly interceptions on offense prevented Philadelphia from bringing home an ultimate prize, the championship. The Eagles lose by 3 to the Patriots.

(Ok, yes there was a fallout the following year and it invariably broke up one of the most dynamic QB-WR duos in history. However, ask any Eagles fan was it worth it to get a chance to the Super Bowl. All Eagles fans are nodding silently)

Now, in my honest opinion the Indianapolis Colts offense AS IS is better than the Eagles offense in its finest hour with T.O. Yet, have we watched Indy over the last couple of years? They are a finesse offense, with pretty good athletes and a cerebral QB who fits footballs into tight windows. Yet, is there one person on the offensive side of the football field that you fear?

Fear my friends, has a harrowing effect on a defense. Ask folks who had to deal with Randy Moss in his prime.

Now, we all know who Brandon Marshall is? He's affectionately referred to as "Beast" and one could make the claim that he is the best WR in football. He's 6'4", 229 pounds. He runs a 4.5 40-time. He already holds the record for most catches in a game in NFL history. In his last 3 years he's caught over 100 passes per season and has 23 touchdowns in that time frame.

Hell, we know believe that Kyle Orton is a legitimate QB in this league. That my friends, is exceptional.

We remember what happened when Randy Moss went to the Patriots, who also already had an elite offense. They went on to have the greatest offensive season in NFL history, with Tom Brady throwing for more touchdowns then anyone ever in single-season history, resurrected Randy Moss as the scariest wideout in football, and thrusted Wes Welker into the best slot receiver in the game today. They went 18-0 and go to Super Bowl 42 and their offensive line basically went to shambles. The Patriots lose by 3 to the Giants.

Is this a theme or is this a chance to break the trend. You add an elite wide receiver to an already elite offense, thrust your team into the stratosphere of football teams yet ultimately lose by 3 in the Super Bowl.

Well, the Colts lost to a team in the Saints who broke the ultimate trend of suckitude in their franchise's history. I say Peyton Manning would love to have Brandon Marshall to throw to, and I honestly believe that if you add #15 onto that squad who's defense is much better than anyone truly understands...why not?

This seems to easy of a decision to me, you make this happen if you can afford it. Make a real run for greatness Peyton, go get Marshall in a Colts uniform.

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

**Quick note - Please check out tonight's radio show "Unsportsmanlike Conduct" on BlogTalkRadio at 10pm Eastern! CLICK HERE for more information! See you tonight!**

Life After Football Season: Tips for Survival

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 08:37:00 +0000

The end of football season is quite a few things for quite a few people. For some, it’s the perfect transition into basketball season. For others, they may focus their attention to upcoming spring training in baseball. For folks who are open for a little bit of anything, they may get into some hockey, soccer, or NASCAR. However, there are some fans that, when football season ends, go into hiding. They’re pretty much done for, unless anything football-related is in the cards.

Let’s all be honest here. There are only so many mock drafts, only so much NFL Network, and only so many times you can hear about the possibility of a work stoppage, before you finally lose your damn mind. The real draft isn’t until the fourth week in April, mini-camps aren’t until May, and training camp isn’t until mid-July. It wouldn’t make much sense to sit alone in the stands, while the rest of us are finding joy and excitement through alternative avenues of sport. Today on ETSF, we’re gonna offer you some tips to make through this time. Our hope is you can find a way to have your sports-jones filled, even if it’s not coming through football.

1. Embrace the Greatness that is College Basketball – Where else do you have Big Monday, Super Tuesday, and big-time conference championship matchups? Right now, every single college basketball game matters, and since it’s getting closer to March Madness, there’s no better time to get involved. Shoot, you’ll probably do a bracket anyway, so why not take a look at what you’re picking? For folks who give it a shot, they end up falling in love.

2. NBA All-Star Weekend and Beyond – The gripes people have about the NBA season being too long do have some validity to them. Hell, I love the NBA, and I’m not a fan of it in early-October, but after going through a lockout in 1999, I’ve learned to live with the fact that pro basketball is pretty damn long. The good news for folks who decide to watch now is that it’s right around the time for the All-Star break. You’ll be able to partake in all of the festivities, and also see how a real All-Star weekend works, and not that garbage-ass mirage that calls itself The Pro Bowl. Plus, the games mean much more now.

3. Become a Renaissance Fan – Admittedly, this is the part where I’m attempting to become better at, but if you don’t find joy in basketball, give hockey a shot. There’s also tennis, NASCAR, and golf. Well, I’ll take golf out of there, but hockey, tennis, and NASCAR deserve an opportunity. Besides, it’s not like you have anything else to do. There’s also soccer, which Ed is a huge fan of. To be totally honest, soccer fans are the liveliest fans in the world, which may be hard to believe, but give it a shot, and you just may experience a thrill from the atmosphere of the sport, even if you don’t know what the hell is happening on the field.

4. Give Your Better Half the Time They Sacrificed for the Past Six Months – Now if you’re totally against any of these suggestions we’ve offered, then remove yourself from sports completely, and become a better partner to your old man, old lady, or whoever you’re kickin’ it with. Start taking your behind back to church on Sundays, because you know you weren’t going to the late service, and if you weren’t going early, then you weren’t there at all. Go ahead, and take your better half out on Saturday afternoons, since there’s no more college football, or take ‘em out for a night on the town. Besides, you can’t lie and tell them you’re watching football with me right now. After all these suggestions I’ve offered up, don’t look for me to lie for you. You’re on your own ‘til football starts back up.

This was at Wild Wings, where I watched the game, as the clock hit zero. Wow. What a year...

Be easy.
-K. Masenda
http://www.edthesportsfan.com/

When The Saints Go Marching In...

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 14:11:00 +0000

In a sports fan's life, this is why you give your heart and soul to a team.

Today, when you wake up and get ready for work...or when you go to your first class today...or get online to check and see what's going on in Twitter-land...you will be glowing like Bruce LeRoy.

If you are a Saints fan, that is.

Its not easy being a fan of a team like the Saints, or any other team that has the history of losing, hard luck, and other foolishness that might be associated with your squad. See, its easy to be a fan of the Yankees, Lakers, Steelers/Cowboys, Red Wings because you can vividly remember your team winning...recently. (Yes, even Cowboys fans...you can remember the 90's.)

But a Saints fan? Some folks lived their entire lives and never saw the Saints achieve what they did on Sunday night, and many thought they would NEVER see what the Saints achieved on Sunday night...and THAT more than any other storyline you might hear about, is what makes their championship special.

I am not going to get on my soapbox and talk about Peyton Manning's performance on Sunday, or how this might've cost him his legacy. I already did that about #18 last week. However, the realization is that Peyton Manning didn't play his best game...but it didn't matter. The Saints were just better, and Drew Brees has now elevated himself into upper crust of QB's in history.

Did we realize that the Saints outscored the Colts 31-7 after the first quarter?

Did we realize that the Saints FG kicker Garrett Hartley stepped up for all field goal kickers across the world and make clutch kicks?

Did we realize that the Colts got no pressure on Brees after the cortisone/cream & clear/novocaine/8-in-1 African Oil worn off on Dwight Freeney's ankle?

Let me make one point right now, for all of the sports pundits saying that the Peyton Manning interception was Reggie Wayne's fault because he chopped his steps in a route is the dumbest thing I've ever heard. Stop being an offensive lineman and trying to protect Peyton Manning. Try running full speed for 10 yards and make an in cut on one step...its extremely difficult to do. Wayne can do it 9 times out of 10, but don't sit there and say he gave the route away. It was a bad throw by Manning, and it was A GREAT READ by Tracy Porter, period. Give all the love to Porter, because he made the play.

I don't have a ton else to say, except I've never been so happy to be wrong. I truly believe that a lot of people picked the Colts because it was the smart pick, however in all of our hearts (except for Colts fans) we wanted the Saints to win. It was so hard to believe in the Saints for their entire existence, and they went out and defied all expectations.

Now they are Super Bowl Champions. All hell will be breaking loose on Bourbon Street and the French Quarter. Awesome.

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

Win or Lose...Peyton Manning Is NOT The Greatest QB of All-Time

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 14:20:00 +0000

Let that title sink in for a moment, process it.

You mad? You shocked? Or are you nodding your head in agreement? Yeah, I thought so.

Let me be perfectly clear on what I'm about to say, because the ability to misconstrue this message will be easy to do. Peyton Manning is the best quarterback in the game of football today, no question. Peyton Manning is ONE of the greatest quarterbacks of all-time, no question.

However, I will not sit here and let the media, other pundits of the game of football, and bandwagon, "oh, I only watch the Super Bowl" football fans sit here and preach this gospel that Peyton Manning plays the game of football like no one ever before in history, and that he is the greatest quarterback of all-time. It is disrespectful to others who have played the game before him, and we cannot let our present day memory erase things we've seen and/or heard in the past.

Reason #1: The man, along with his team, is reminiscent of the Atlanta Braves.

14-2, 12-4, 13-3, 12-4, 14-2, 12-4, 12-4, 10-6, 6-10, 10-6, 13-3.

That's the record of the Indianapolis Colts each season since 1999; since the ascension of Peyton Manning as an elite QB. Truly an awesome display of winning regular season football games. The Atlanta Braves in baseball won 14 straight division titles in the National League East. Very similar right?

How many championships to the two teams have? One apiece.

Now, I'm not that stupid. I know that you cannot force all of the blame on Peyton for not winning more championships, but I feel like at Ed The Sports Fan I can keep it 100 with you all. Peyton Manning and the Colts got the easiest game for a Super Bowl that I've ever seen in Super 39 against the Bears. Manning throughout his career has struggled MIGHTILY in the playoffs. He's never been able to beat San Diego in the postseason, and for the simple fact that Norv Turner put in possibly the worst game plan against the Jets makes me infuriated. It took 3 tries to finally get over the Patriots hump, with the 38-34 battle AFC Championship game in '06 going down as one of the greatest games of all-time.

You don't want to be like the Atlanta Braves, trust me I'm a fan of ATL, so the feeling is (Charles Barkley voice) turrible.

Reason #2: He's not even the best QB of his generation.

Tom Brady, 3 rings. Peyton Manning 1 ring. Pretty simple, right?

"Oh well, no. Peyton's been successful statistically longer than Brady. He's just better."

Shut up.

Here are some all-time stats to compare.

Single-Season Passing TDs: #1. T. Brady, 50 ('07) #2. P. Manning, 49 ('04)
Single-Season Passer Rating: #1. P. Manning, 121.1 ('04) #2. T. Brady, 117.2 ('07)
Single-Season Passing Yards: #4. T. Brady , 4,806 ('07) #16. P. Manning, 4,557 ('04)
Career Pass Comp %: #4. P. Manning, 64.8% #9. T. Brady 63.3%
Career Yards/Game: #1. P. Manning, 261.1 #7. T. Brady 239.1
Interceptions: P. Manning 181 in 12 seasons (15/year), T. Brady 99 in 10 seasons (10/year)
Playoff Record: Patriots are 2-1 over the Colts in the playoffs.

Oh, and as a reminder.

REPEAT: Tom Brady, 3 rings. Peyton Manning 1 ring. Pretty simple, right?

Reason #3: Peyton Manning isn't the best all-time quarterback of his own franchise.

That, my friends, would be Johnny Unitas.

Football is different than other sports, where time can adjust the progression of a sport so that the game can progress. In baseball, dimensions of a baseball field have shrunk. Baseball bats have improved, and they have this stuff called HGH...yeah. In basketball, the evolution of athletes and an "above-the-rim" style of play, plus the advent of defensive restrictions have made offense easier in basketball.

In football? They would kick people out of the league on the defensive side of the ball if folks did in games what they did back in the 1960's.

Think about it, you could clothesline, jam receivers all the way down the field, and pass interference was only called if someone got mauled while attempting to catch the ball. Mind you also that Unitas was the preeminent quarterback in his day, called all of his own plays, and played in cleats that nowadays would resemble something along the lines of Chuck Taylor's with spikes on the bottom. Peyton Manning's game is a direct mirror image of Unitas, and Unitas was the original holder of all the records. Take into the account that teams initially only played in 12, then 14-game seasons and you realize how handicapped statistically he is.

Then there is one other important factor in this.

Johnny Unitas - 3 NFL Championships (1 Super Bowl)
Peyton Manning - 1 NFL Championship (1 Super Bowl)

You pay homage to the legends and respect your elders for a reason, and it applies in the same manner here. Unitas > Manning

-----

So what am I saying here on the precipice of Super Bowl 44 in Miami as the Indianapolis Colts face the New Orleans Saints? Peyton Manning has the chance to make history on Sunday night.

However, its not for the title of best quarterback of all-time. Of course, its not something that he's pushing for, but if you listen to the media this is what's on the line. Right now Peyton Manning is just above Dan Marino for greatest quarterbacks in NFL history. Dan Marino's run as a quarterback is parallel to Manning's minus a Super Bowl, even though some will argue to this day that Marino is THE BEST quarterback of all-time, rings or not. Peyton still has time to ascend, his career isn't up any time soon, the problem is you can't crown the man until he's earned the crown. Where is Denny Green...

There's still an upper echelon of all-time great QBs that he has to get up to. Unitas, Bradshaw, Elway, Montana, Favre, and Tom Brady. With a win Sunday he leaves the Aikman, Steve Young, Kurt Warner, Phil Simms pack and moves into the elite, but if he doesn't win...then he elevates his opponent, Drew Brees, into the same tier of QBs with him. Will that happen? Well, we've got two days left to find out.

-Ed.
www.edthesportsfan.com

(Ed's pick to win Super Bowl 44: Heart says Saints, Mind says Colts. Colts 30, Saints 20.)

Top Ten QBs in the NFL

eddiemaisonet@gmail.com (Ed The Sports Fan) — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 14:48:00 +0000

With the Super Bowl quickly approaching, plenty of debates have circled around for football fans everywhere. Who's got the edge? Who's this, and who's that? For us at ETSF, we figure the best way to culminate a debate is by publishing our own top-ten list, and for this particular list, we'll be looking at the top-ten signal callers in the NFL.

A big thanks goes out to The Rev, The NFL Chick, and MKRob, who all handle their business in the blogosphere. The three of them helped to make this post a reality, and for that, we are grateful. To make this clear, each panelist used this season as their barometer, but were also given the freedom to use previous success for a player as well. With that said, lets gooooo...

10. Tony Romo, Dallas Cowboys - Romo was around this position last year, and even with another division title, leading his team to their first playoff win since I was in middle school, as well as helping turn Smiles Austin into a star, Romo remains on the lower part of the top-ten. It isn't a total indictment against him, though. He'll continue to be scrutinized to no end, seeing how he has The Star on his helmet, and it's something even his most loyal backers (ex. Kenny, Kevin Jiles, and B-Lew) have come to accept. Every panelist has Romo on their list, with two of us having him as high as #8. However, when you play for the Cowboys, success is measured by Super Bowls, point-blank.

9. Matt Schaub, Houston Texans - Syreeta says he's probably the dark horse of this entire list, having him ranked at #6. MKRob went higher on his ante, and has Schaub as the third-best signal caller in the league, only behind Brees and Manning. He led the Texans to their best season in franchise history, and if it wasn't for Kris Brown forgetting how to make field goals, they would have easily made the postseason.

8. Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers - All five of us sing the praises of Aaron Rodgers on one level or another. The Rev insists the 49ers are kicking themselves for taking Alex Smith over him, while Syreeta went one further, by saying the loyal cheeseheads are saying "Brett Who?" He's definitely on his way to stardom, and it may be sooner than later.

7. Kurt Warner, Arizona Cardinals - Despite the fact Warner filed his retirement papers, he still has enough juice to make this list, and honestly, how couldn't he? All he did was make the Arizona Cardinals relevant, by leading them to the Super Bowl in 2008, and to a victory over Green Bay in the wild card round this season. He could sit around the house, hang out, go back and bag groceries, miss training camp, and STILL come back to the Cardinals and be their starting quarterback.

6. Lorenzo Favre, Minnesota Vikings - It's truly something to see the panelists opinions of The Great Brett Lorenzo Favre. The Rev has the ultimate love-hate relationship with him, by acknowledging his ridiculous season, yet being ridiculously annoyed with his retirement antics. Ed became a Favre backer, after seeing him get his tail whooped, but continuing to come back and play like a G, in the NFC Championship Game. I'll admit that Favre is my dude, and will most likely continue to give him the benefit of the doubt. After the year he had, he can take all the time he wants to make up his mind.

5. Ben Roethlisberger, Pittsburgh Steelers - Ed gives Big Ben the ultimate benefit of the doubt for last season's struggles of the Steelers. The fact that Ben has two rings, and has consistently led his team to victory after victory gives him a pass. The Rev truly hates Ben Roethlisberger, which pretty much comes with the territory of being the quarterback of the Steelers. Even with that, he has him ranked #7 on his list. In his words, "the guy is good, even if he is a stupid oaf who holds onto the ball too much." For me? Big Ben is second only to Peyton Manning, as the best quarterback in football. I trust him more at the end of a game than any other quarterback in the entire league.

4. Philip Rivers, San Diego Chargers - I'll forever hate Norv Turner for not coaching his team to a victory over the Jets in the playoffs. If he did his damn job, my article about Philip Rivers being better than Drew Brees would be plastered everywhere, because HE would be the quarterback representing the AFC against Drew Brees and the Saints. Nonetheless, he still ranks pretty high on everyone's lists. Syreeta loves him even more than I do, while The Rev acknowledges that Rivers continues to get better and better each season.

3. Tom Brady, New England Patriots - At this point, it's safe to say Brady gets the benefit of the doubt more than any quarterback in football, but when you look at what he's done, with a various cast of characters, along with coming back from his knee injury, how can anyone argue he hasn't earned it? He's better than a majority of the QBs right now, despite the obvious fact that he's not fully recovered from his injury. Ed would take him in a "Brady-Manning" Best QB of All-Time Debate anyday, as would I. However, since this list is about right now, he's right where he should be. The best way to sum up Brady's greatness? In the words of Syreeta, he's top-five, because "he's Tom Freaking Brady." No argument here.

2. Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints - Brees has been dancing with elite status for the past few seasons, and now that he's in the Super Bowl, he's officially arrived in the eyes of every panelist for this post. The Rev says no one has played better than Brees this season, and as far as he's concerned, he puts Brees and Manning on an equal level, as far as this season goes. Ed gives Brees the nod over Rivers, due to the title games appearances and the Super Bowl berth. If Brees leads his team to victory on Sunday night, he'll be responsible for the biggest celebration that the city of New Orleans will ever see.

1. Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts - The unanimous selection for the best quarterback in football is Peyton Manning. Do we really have to explain why this is? The Rev says there's not another player alive who frightens you to death at the end of a game more than Manning (I disagree, but whatever). Syreeta calls him a machine, I call him a maestro, but whatever you call him, when it comes to right now, you gotta call him...the best.

Omissions:

Donovan McNabb, Philadelphia Eagles - McNabb just missed the cut, which leads me to believe, more than ever, that it's time for him to find a new home. I'm convinced it can't work in Philly anymore, no matter what anyone says. Four of us have him on our list, but no one has him higher than #8.

Vince Young, Tennessee Titans - The consensus was if Young was put in sooner, the Titans would have been back in the playoffs. You may not be a fan of how he gets it done, but the man knows how to win, and when you look at it, that's all that matters.

What do you think, who's in your Top 10? Weigh in and discuss.

Be easy.

-K. Masenda
www.edthesportsfan.com