SCREAM! The Spurs, Bulls and Everything Else!

Hey, so let me say this: If yesterday didn't get you watching NBA highlights and/or reserving time for Game 2's, you're dumb. Sorry, I don't mean dumb, I mean...ok I mean dumb. To do a quick recap: 

Bulls vs. Heat- Conventional wisdom says Heat. The Bulls were sans Derrick Rose (more to come later), Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng (who hasn't played since game 5 of the Nets series). LeBron was given his fourth MVP Award earlier in the day. Hooray! Time for a blowout! But then again, the Bulls have Tom Thibodeau, which is like having George Washington leading your army (Which, the more I think about it, the more I like that analogy. Both guys commanded depleted men, had lots of obstacles to overcome and surprised everyone). The (DAAAAAAAAA) Bulls held James and company to 15 (like, one less than sweet) points in the first quarter and 86 overall. Miami averages a little over 97 a game, so kudos to Thibs (Yes! An analogy AND a nickname!). The game was back and forth, this coming from a guy who depends on the GameCast night after night. Jimmy Butler and Nate Robinson ended up being the X factors. Yeah, Jimmy Butler. And this guy http://tinyurl.com/cprq68n. Crazy game, crazy start to the series. 

Warriors vs. Spurs- "Mario, that Chicago/Miami game was the bomb! Ain't nothing going to be that!" Wrong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuxtcmJiMqQ. That screaming lady sure is annoying, huh? Two overtimes were jussssssssst enough to decide a winner in a thrilling game one. My mom's a Spurs fan, so I should've known better than to taunt her with an "Oh boy! Golden State is up 104-88!" proclamation. An 18-2 Spurs run shut me up. And quick. Other than another ho-hum night from Curry (44 points, 11 assists) and Ames High School product Harrison Barnes (19 points, 12 rebounds) was not enough to stop Manu Ginobili, who made it onto my "First Team All-Defying Father Time" (He replaces Kobe Bryant who, you know, has a boo-boo).

Pacers vs. Knicks- Pacers won. Spike Lee is upset. As much as I want the summary to end there, I must commend D.J. Augustin for his breakout performance (16 points on 4-5 shooting from three point range, but surprisingly -5 when he was on the court) and J.R. Smith for his acting skills http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKVStZY0pdw. Seriously, the only thing worse than that is that there were at least three other times J.R. flopped and WASN'T called (A three pointer where he pump faked and leaned into the defender, a drive down the lane where he was falling before even contact the defender). Watch him the next time he goes to the hoop. His signature move is falling over at the free throw line and expecting the defender to catch him as J.R. throws up his hands. Bravo Mr. Smith. 

Grizzlies vs. Thunder- The Grizzlies had the lead and lost it. Thanks Kevin Durant, for voiding the whole "Second round doesn't start until the home team wins" theory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K5to5vzwQ0. It's interesting to see how Durant will dominate, then pass the baton, watch his teammates drop it, then pick it back up and lap everyone else en route to victory. Interesting question that has had a reversal of an answer as of late: More important to their team as a point guard, Russell Westbrook or Derrick Rose? It's a crapshoot right? Rose's team just beat the defending champs, and Westbrook's absence finally gives Durant the keys to the car (Because up until then, Westbrook had a copy of the keys).

Speaking of Derrick Rose...

I WANT HIM BACK! Seriously, other than Goran Dragic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRAp00SxP30), who is sitting there thinking "You know, that's a wise decision right there!"? I agree with most people that it's probably more mental at this point than physical (See Kevin Ware), but come on! After the Bulls' game one win, if Rose comes back now...watch out El Heat. 

I realize that there's a few topics I still haven't discussed. Namely: Jason Collins and that thing called Major League Baseball. I apologize for the lack of coverage of anything other than basketball lately, I'll try and get on it. Thanks for reading!

Questions? Comments? Contact me by following me on Twitter (@super_mario64), friending me on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/BallinItalian), or shooting me an email at thesupermario64@gmail.com

The Weekend That Was: Golf, Kobe's Achilles and More

I watched golf this weekend. That's right, I spent quite a bit of time observing a middle aged Argentine smoker battle a dashing young Aussie while both holding umbrellas over their heads. Hooray golf! All sarcasm and previous experiences aside, the 18th hole and ensuing playoff between Angel Cabrera and eventual champion Adam Scott had me on the edge of my seat (well I was actually standing, but whatever). The two traded puts late on Sunday to force a soggy playoff, where Scott birdied the 10th hole and promptly slipped on the Green Jacket. In case you missed the finish (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIX4S6mvNoo) and in case you have no clue what's so special about this "Green Jacket" (http://tinyurl.com/bl95wyw). As amazing as it sounds, golf is one of the only sports I have NEVER played on a grand scale (because mini-golf, as sad as it is, doesn't count). I found the Masters very entertaining, which is pretty reverse of any other experience I've had watching golf. Onto other things...

First, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjeqlV9S4oI
Then, cry. That's about all you can do if you are a fan of a) basketball, b) great athletes or c) future Hall of Famers turning back the clock and putting up ridiculous stats at a senior citizen age. Kobe is averaging a career-high in assists, while having his best field goal percentage since '08-'09 and rebounds since '07-'08 (http://tinyurl.com/d7nxaus). Kobe is doing it all, and while doing so, did it all TOO MUCH en route to tearing his Achilles, an injury that in all likelihood will keep him out anywhere from six months to a year or more. The main problem here is not the fact that now Steve Nash, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard and company will have to step it up another notch to just MAKE the playoffs, but the financial predicament that follows The Black Mamba's injury. Kobe is on the books for, oh, a cool $30 million next year. Dwight Howard is a free agent at the end of this year and it now becomes a matter planning for the future or keep Kobe in purple and gold. It's a tough decision and I can't necessarily say that Kobe would take LESS money to stay in L.A. That's essentially what it comes down to, especially since the Lakers are in danger of suffering a huge luxury tax to the tune of over $80 million. Oy.

Time for the "more" section of the blog post!

Kentucky forward/center/string bean Nerlens Noel declared for the draft (http://tinyurl.com/br3knxr). I'll save my "get a degree" and "athletes are students" rants for later, but this is really sad. A couple years ago I thought Kyrie Irving was stupid for leaving for the draft, but he turned out ok (at least this year). Irving was coming off of a foot injury, BUT WE SAW HIM PLAY IN AN NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME! Noel, on the other hand, went down midway through the SEC season and all we have as far as highlights go is his highlight reel of blocks against Ole Miss (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDDV1l5tNds). While impressive, I doubt know that he doesn't stand a chance against the likes of Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love, Marc Gasol/Zach Randolph, etc. The list goes on. Be cool, stay in school. Anthony Davis won something, you have not.

Baseball season is in full swing and I haven't made a World Series prediction yet! Um! Ah! Ohhhhh crap! The Braves are off to a hot start, the Nationals are popular and the Blue Jays and Dodgers both have increasing payrolls. I guess I'll have to go with...

Forget it. I'm ending my blog post by letting everybody know that you should pray for Boston right now. An explosion three hours into the event has left several dead, many injured and many more lost and confused. Pray for them. (here's the video for those brave enough to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=046MuD1pYJg#!)

Questions? Comments? Contact me by following me on Twitter (@super_mario64), friending me on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/BallinItalian), or shooting me an email at thesupermario64@gmail.com

March to the Madness

     Whether you have realized it or not, the NCAA tournament is right around the corner. Here at Drake, our men's team is already in St. Louis preparing to make a cinderella run and claim an automatic bid. After all, the women's team did it in '06-'07, so get to it! (I'm looking at you, Ben Simons).
     While Drake is needing a string of upsets to go dancing, Iowa State is in a much better position. Forget the fact that they lost to Texas Tech, Iowa and two heartbreak losses against Kansas (I'm a Drake student with an Iowa alum for a dad, and those losses killed me). The Cyclones more than likely punched their ticket to the Big Dance with last night's rather convincing upset of #13 Oklahoma State. I didn't expect anything less on senior night, with Cyclone Alley raring to go. The win was much needed after back to back losses and the seniors made their impact. They will be missed, but I'm sure OSU would've liked to...I don't know...play a little defense? Enter CHRIS BABB! His dunk here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBif_bvR0Z4) shows what ISU is capable of when their game is on. Drain the 3's, then penetrate when the defense tightens up. A foolproof plan no doubt. I'm excited to see what they can do to finish up this year, starting with the regular season finale on the road against a mediocre to bad West Virginia squad (13-17 overall, 6-11 in Big 12 play).
     Unless I'm not reading the standings or the Big 12 bracket setup right, the 'Clones will play Oklahoma in the first round of the Big 12 tourney no matter what. It's a 4/5 seed matchup so it's basically a wash. Assuming ISU takes down the Sooner, there would be a potential matchup with the #1 seed: Kansas or Kansas State. We'll say Kansas for the sake of mob-rising and pitchfork-raising. Either way, March is certainly going to be fun to watch.

Other News and Notes
-The Miami Heat are on a 16 game winning streak. I never would've thought, considering they have the best player in the game in LeBron James, the best shooter in the game in Ray Allen and of course: Snoop Bosh Chris Lion. I think I got that right.... (http://static.foxsports.com/content/fscom/images/20027/NBA_player_Chri_9336328_0_0.JPG
-Spring Training for the MLB is in full swing and my Yankees are dead in the water already. Nick Swisher and Raul Ibanez left in the offseason, we did nothing but re-sign players that are now a year older and significant injuries are creeping in. Derek Jeter is working his way back but Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira will both miss quite a bit of time. My verdict: Yanks will place either third or fourth. Mostly because I want to see the Blue Jays be the opposite of the Marlins, the Rays will always be consistent AND young and the Red Sox should bounce back.
-Joe Flacco signed his mega-contract, to the tune of 6 years/$120.6 million. That's over $20 million a year. And we wonder why our debt keeps growing. Oh well.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

Questions? Comments? Contact me by following me on Twitter (@super_mario64), friending me on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/BallinItalian), or shooting me an email at thesupermario64@gmail.com

New Year, New Post. Let's Do This.

So it's now 2013, and I have outdone myself with the ability to procrastinate and get caught up in school. So sue me, I'm a college teenager. Oh well. 

We start with the Manti Te'o story, and I mean THE MANTI TE'O STORY! For those of you who are new to this guy, or are just reading this because you know me, I'll give you the sparknotes version. Manti Te'o plays linebacker for Notre Dame. During the season it was reported his grandmother and girlfriend died IN THE SAME DAY. What did he do? Played football and helped his team beat Michigan St. Fast forward, and his team is undefeated and playing for the National Championship. Te'o is the symbol of character and toughness, and he is deemed a saint (not officially though) for what he went through. So now you're caught up. Now enter in an article from deadspin.com (Here's link to the article. Took me about a half hour to read, it's THAT loaded...http://tinyurl.com/b29k3pd). The article claims (and we later find out it's true) that Te'o's girlfriend NEVER EXISTED. Through a clever social media hoax, Te'o had been "dating" somebody who wasn't real. As crazy as it seems, the story only gets weirder. Te'o throughout the year had been interviewed about "when they talked" and Te'o's dad even said the girlfriend visited Manti in Hawaii. Uh...ruh roh! As George Castanza said in "The Soul Mate" (ironic huh?): "The more layers you peel, the more it stinks". If Manti was the victim of a hoax straight up, he's naive and not as bright as we thought. If he was in on it however, this brings up a completely different scenario. As much as I would hate to see that happen, would it really surprise anyone? After all, this girlfriend in part helped propel him to second on the Heisman Trophy ballot. This is a day and age in sports where anyone will do anyTHING to get on top. Not only do people do what they want when they want, but the apology is now a process which has to be dragged out and publicized (I'm looking at you Lance Armstrong). The NFL combine/interviews are sure to wreak havoc on this guy, but I guarantee you that even if he WAS behind the scheme, he's still drafted ridiculously high. And to me, he shouldn't be drafted AT ALL if this was his idea. 

Other tidbits:

-NFL Playoffs: Kaepernick can run. Matt Bryant can kick. Texans can't catch. And Peyton Manning can play better defense than this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVxF0NKYZAA

-LeBron James become the youngest to score 20,000 points, and also dished out his 5,000th assist. Very impressive, but I'm still waiting...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT-I8jQDQ7c

-Iowa State beat West Virginia on a last second shot by Georges Niang (spelled it right on the first try. Booyah.). Way to go ISU, hard to maintain those 18 point leads sometimes.

-Eagles hire Chip "The Flip" Kelly (come on, that nickname is gold!). The Flip coming from the fact that he originally stated he'd be returning to Eugene, Oregon to coach the ducks. All Hail The Flip!

Questions? Comments? Contact me by following me on Twitter (@super_mario64), friending me on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/BallinItalian), or shooting me an email at thesupermario64@gmail.com

Hello Sports World, What Did I Miss?

Over the course of the last few weeks, I have been involved in an amazing missions trip, multiple concerts (of which I have played), and helping the girlfriend move into her college dorm. All of this has resulted in a giant goose egg when it comes to blog posts. For this I sincerely apologize. So...here goes nothing:

The Olympics
USA! USA! USA! After chasing China in the medal count for about a week, the Stars and Stripes kicked it into gear by dominating wrestling, basketball, and number of events in which Kobe Bryant attended. The London Olympics started out with probably the weirdest opening ceremonies I've ever seen. Never have I seen a trail go from JK Rowling, to Mr. Bean, to the internet. Cheerio, mate. I'll remember these Olympics for a few different reasons (in no particular order):
1) Oscar Pistorius' incredible run. Did anybody see that coming? Had anybody heard of him before the Olympics? That's what I thought (because I didn't either). He didn't just run, he COMPETED, making it to the semi-finals in the men's 400m. If you still don't know who Mr. Pistorius is, here's all you need to know. http://tinyurl.com/c93um8l
2) Basketball. I love it. You love it (hopefully). And in case you haven't heard, the U.S. kind of rocks at it. First, our women won gold. Woopdidoo. For the fifth consecutive time. WoopdiWHAT!?!?!?? Yeah, that's the DEFINITION of dominance. Then, to top it all off, the U.S. men's team also took home gold.
3) Jamaicans. They're fast.http://www.sbnation.com/london-olympics-2012/2012/8/5/3221941/usain-bolt-100m-video-2012-olympics
Did I mention they're fast? http://www.morethanthegames.co.uk/files/morethanthegames/usainbolt200mheatlondon2012.jpg
Oh, and so are their women.http://jamaica-gleaner.com/gleaner/20120812/sports/images/Women4x400C20120811RM.jpg

The NBA
Oh boy, thanks again LeBron. You just HAD to spur another round of "Big Three" teams. Thanks, LeBron. (Disclaimer: This is not a legitimate argument. Shut up...people) Dwight Howard + Purple and Gold x Steve Nash to the power of Kobe Bryant = HOLY CRAP!!!!!!!! Mix in a little Pau Gasol, and BAM! http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTo45rFmc9_FsJMdxd4zFe1pRzmnR8OTqey8-g9KCN5lrFV-JuYKLuE0idl

The NFL
Preseason football. Nobody cares. (note: that period is not a typo, it is a statement of fact). Next topic please.

College Football
Oh no...THIS is the next topic? Dang. I'll pass. Not exactly a great way to end a blog post, but what can I honestly say? That USC is poised to absolutely rip through their schedule? That Tyrann Mathieu needs to...I don't know, think!?!? I didn't think that Mathieu could actually care LESS than an actual honey badger, but here we are. Hooray "student" athletes! I put student in quotations because I'm still waiting to be proven wrong. Thank you, and good day.

Note: That last line was not bitter, but rather a great ending to a pretty decent blog post in my opinion. It's good to be back.

An Open Letter to Dwight Howard

Dear Mr. Howard,

Over the past couple of months, you have publicly voiced your desire to leave the Orlando Magic organization and be miraculously placed into a scenario in which you could quickly and efficiently rise to the top of the NBA charts as the greatest big man in recent memory. As a) A devout sports fan, b) a very opinionated person, and c) someone who claims a similar faith and belief system as you, I feel obligated to tell you this: shut up. There is a difference between quietly declining a year extension and agreeing to come back to a team before scolding them and wanting to get out like you're caught in the middle of an apartment fire. I do not doubt your talents, because you ARE a premier player..when you're playing that is. You're soap opera acting needs some work, because whether you like it or not, the saga ends at some point. You'll either begrudgingly play out this year like last: Dominating the boards, leading your team, but all the while yearning to get out, or you'll get traded for a ton of draft picks, some scrubs, and then act like nothing ever happened. Either way: shut up. If Orlando is not where you feel led to be, then so be it. But the way you are handling this situation in...*gulp*...worse than THIS http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9BqUBYaHlM. Before being drafted you said you wanted to "raise the name of God within the league and throughout the world". You're raising something alright, but it's probably closer to Cain than the name of God. Don't misinterpret that as an accusation, I just want you to know that LeBron could teach you a little bit about humility at the moment. Whether you end up with the Lakers, Magic, Republican Party, or the next contestant on Dancing With The Stars, I at least want to say this: Remember where you came from, Who made you who you are, and Who you're doing this all for.


Sincerely,
A Blogging Iowan

The 2012 NBA Draft Post!

Holy cow everybody! The 2012 NBA draft is tomorrow! What better way to spend your respective Thursday nights than by watching younglings who spent less than two years at a college they didn't pay for get selected by a basketball team whose order was determined by a series of ping pong balls!? Alright, so I think the draft is a little lame. But come on, black rimmed "nerd" glasses and ridiculously colored suits aren't exactly a great first impression for these guys. "Hey! I'm 19 and already spending money I don't have! Thanks [enter NBA city here], can't wait to sign the contract--I mean hit the court". Alright alright, enough of the bad stuff, let's talk about the unibrows-I mean draft picks. It's probably common knowledge that Kentucky F/C Anthony Davis will be the #1 pick to the New Orleans Hornets. He's 19. In case you DIDN'T know this, here's all you need to know: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MmALZKSnJ0. Yep, the kid's got...a wingspan. Then at the #2 spot, there's an interesting debacle as to who will be the next winner of "Charlotte's Got [A Severe Lack Of] Talent". Oh the irony of how this team is run by Michael Jordan. I can't get over it. But the nominees are! 18 year old Florida guard Bradley Beal. 18 year old Kentucky G/F Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Orrrrrr the field (AND THE ALREADY IMPATIENT CROWD GOES WILD!!!!!). If it were my team, I wouldn't be sucked in by the fact that Beal decided to show up for the NCAA Tourney, or that Kidd-Gilchrist was on Calipari's kick-butt squad of eager underclassmen. I want heart. I want patience. I want the ability to blend while shedding the title of "first round pick". I want...this guy!! http://www.usmagazine.com/uploads/assets/articles/49517-jeremy-lin-5-things-you-need-to-know/1329332136_jeremy-lin-article.jpg. Eh, it's worth a shot, right?

But anyway, I hope that above all else we actually receive some RESULTS from this group, because I for one am growing sick of the "one and done" route (maybe it's because I'm about to attend a college and actually have to pay for it). Last year the NBA was littered with the "young guns" that jumped from college early again. And as I watched the playoffs...only Kawhi Leonard made an even remote impact on his team's run (you could make the case for Norris Cole of the Heat, but then again, you also couldn't). Go another year back, 2010. Evan Turner. Paul George. Landry Fields (by the skin of his teeth). I guess 2009 would be the last "impact" draft. Blake "Dunk Over Everybody Who Gets In My Way" Griffin. James "Amish Beard" Harden. Tyler "Not Too Skinny Now" Hansbrough. Jrue Holiday. Jodie Meeks. Yada yada yada. Rebuttal? Didn't think so. I guess I'm not really as interested as I could be about the draft, because great players are DEVELOPED, not DRAFTED. Although I do love a good story or two, such as Mr. Royce White (What!? He's sucking up to the Iowa guy!...Why yes, yes I am). I hope this guy succeeds, because he's a heck of a player. Ain't that right UCONN? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qga2MuOMwc (the first 25 seconds is all you need). Alas, I cannot show TOO much love for White, but I do think he'll get drafted in the holy grail known as the first round. And frankly, I couldn't care less about everybody else. I don't care how many underclassmen from Kentucky get drafted. The better stat would be the percentage of draft picks that DON'T have a college degree. Just makes you wonder...