The Most Pointless Games in Sports

Michael Vick being knocked down by Patriots lineman Jermaine Cunningham,.Vick needed to leave and was X-rayed. 

Each year there are five unnecessary games played. These games don't count. Most of the teams' prominent players do not even play. It's the players who are fighting for a job who play. They risk getting concussions, torn ACL's and more serious injuries. If you haven't guessed it already, it's the NFL preseason.

Already, after just two weeks, starting Bengals offensive guard Travelle Wharton is already out for the season. How did this happen? Tore his ACL in a Week 1 pre-season game. Austin Collie, Colts Wide Receiver, suffered yet another concussion, and his return status is unknown. Linebacker Chris Chamberlain, who was competing for a starting position on the Saints, tore his ACL just this past weekend. Lastly, and perhaps most notably, Michael Vick has been hit hard multiple times this preseason. The second time, forced him to leave the game against the Patriots, and had to get X-rays. Luckily for the Eagles, they came back negative, but coach Andy Reid is not playing him the rest of preseason.

The last example says it best. Vick got hurt, and they don't want to risk him getting hurt more so they will let him rest until the games actually count. Unfortunately, Travelle Wharton, Austin Collie, and Chris Chamberlain weren't so blessed. They were trying to fight for their jobs but instead got injured, and will have to sit out a year. They will then become a year older, and as a result a year weaker.

There are some coaches who are smart. Like Norv Turner for example. Turner let starting quarterback Phil Rivers, throw just five passes in the teams win over Green Bay. Why? Because it's preseason, and it does not matter! In fact, Green Bay coach Mike McCarthy, allowed Aaron Rodgers to throw just eight passes, for presumably the same reason. It's preseason, and they don't want their players to get injured.

Commissioner Goodell, you talked about expanding the season to 18 games. Most of these players play 21 games already, and that isn't including playoffs. Think about all of the ACL's you could be tearing, and the concussions that you could be causing. You can keep the preseason, just don't make it five games. Make it say, two, or even three. Because this way, at least guys like Tom Brady could play.

One could make the argument that preseason is a waste in all the major sports, but football it is the worst. In baseball, the starters have just one At-bat, and then get replaced by Triple-A players. In basketball, the teams usually play European teams, and don't often get injured.

Football is the sport with the most injuries, so why not minimize the amount of games played? Just leave it till when it really counts, the season. Let the players play their hardest then.

Drugs and America's Pastime

Melky is going to have to get used to sitting on the bench, after his 50 game suspension for PED's. 

With the recent suspension of Giants outfielder Melky Cabrera for PED (performance enhancing drugs) use, many baseball fans have begun to wonder how many other players are currently using these drugs. Every player who is doing well in the season is a suspect.

For example, Cabrera was doing great, phenomenal. He was having the best season of his career. hitting 41 points above his best season. Fans thought it was a great story, "Oh he's finally doing well", he made his first all-star game, and even had 2 hits. Then BOOM. The story gets out that he tested positive for PED's. He gets suspended for 50 games. Then Victor Conte comes out and says that there are lots of players who still use it. This further puts this season in speculation.

But why? Why would players want to use drugs? Why would they want to get suspended? Maybe they thought they could avoid it, like Ryan Braun did. Melky might've thought he could have come up with the "urine excuse" like Braun did. Unfortunately for Melky, he could not, and he is forced to miss the next 50 games, unable to compete for a batting title.

It's obvious to say that drugs are ruining baseball. All of these suspensions, and scandals are killing the game. Melky did not only reach of the love of Giants fans, but fans around the country who wanted to root for the underdog. Now they will look at him with disrespect.

All of this can be attributed back to Barry Bonds. He stole the home-run record away from a man who did it the old fashioned way. And he truly did it the old fashioned way, there were no computers, or advanced metrics, like there are today. Bonds just ruined it. He cheated. It is unfair, but that is baseball nowadays. There is always a way to cheat.

Let us hope and pray, that Mike Trout and Andrew McCutchen, the respective leaders in batting average are not taking PED's.

He Finally Did It

LeBron James has reason to be happy. He silenced his doubters by putting in an MVP performance in Game 5. 

Congrats LeBron. You did it. You finally won an NBA championship. People finally have the evidence that you are the best player in the NBA right now. Along with your teammates Dwayne Wade, Chris Bosh, and Shane Battier, you lead your team to victory 121-106 in American Airlines Arena last night. LeBron, you put in a great showing. You scored 26 points, had 13 rebounds, and 11 assists, to complete a triple-double.

If anyone deserved a championship it was you. Why? LeBron has been ridiculed ever since he has left Cleveland. He has been chosen as one of the most hated athletes in America in a Forbes poll.  Even though at times he can be arrogant, (see the proclamation of multiple championships when introduced as a member of the Heat), he has still has played solid basketball. He has been made fun of in numerous jokes, from not winning a championship, to not being able to close out games. Everyone just wants to hate LeBron James.

As a result of LeBron's championship win, a serious debate can now be opened. Who was better, LeBron or MJ? People ignored this debate before, but did not realize that LeBron had more MVP's and more championship appearances. So, Congrats LeBron. You earned it, now let's see if you can do it again next year.

NBA Finals Preview

The Durantula has finally reached his first finals. 

Will King James choke again? 

It's the final that the NBA has wanted all along. LeBron James and the Miami Heat getting his revenge, against a young and raw Thunder squad. Will Lebron D-Wade, and a supposedly healthy Chris Bosh win their first title together? Or will the Durantula and Westbrook start a new era? No matter the result, this finals will be one for the ages.

Team Comparisons:

Point Guard: Russell Westbrook (OKC) vs. Mario Chalmers (MIA)
Chalmers is one of those basketball players, who pretty much is in the NBA because of one shot in college. Other examples include Eric Maynor. Chalmers is a solid player, but he doesn't compare at all to Westbrook. Westbrook is the Dwayne Wade to Kevin Durant's LeBron. Chalmers is decent, but Westbrook will outplay him in this series.
Edge: Thunder


Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefolosha (OKC) vs. Dwayne Wade (MIA) 
Another unfair matchup, however this is one is towards the Heat. Wade may be the best shooting guard, with the exception of Kobe Bryant. He has playoff experience, while Thabo and Harden have just this past few seasons. Wade is a complete player, while you would have to add Thabo and Harden together to have a complete player. Sorry OKC, but Miami gets this one.
Edge: Heat


Small Forward: Kevin Durant (OKC) vs. LeBron James (MIA). 
The matchup of the series, maybe even the playoffs. Arguably the two best players in basketball today. The scoring champion against the MVP. If LeBron wins this title, basketball purists will finally respect him. If he doesn't, the general public will not accept him as a premier player. If Durant wins, he may even surpass LeBron as the better player. For now, LeBron is able to squeeze past Durant, but this could change in a couple years.
Edge: Heat 


Power Forward: Serge Ibaka (OKC) vs. Chris Bosh (MIA) 
This matchup, which had Chris Bosh been healthier would have gone towards Miami but now is pretty close. Ibaka is a very solid player who keeps on improving year after year. Bosh, the weakest member of "The Big Three", this season has struggled this season. When he's healthy, he can be great player. We will see what happens, but these two big men will fight it out this series.
Edge: Even 


Center: Kendrick Perkins (OKC) vs. Ronny Turiaf (MIA) 
Kendrick Perkins was a huge, (both literally and figuratively) signing for the Thunder. He has been a great post presence for them, and has allowed them to compete with teams such as the Lakers and the Spurs. Ronny Turiaf has somehow survived in the NBA for seven years without contributing much other than a couple boards and a few lay-ups per game. Kendrick Perkins has been to the championship twice. Perkins easily gets the edge.
Edge: Thunder 


Bench: 
Oklahoma City's bench is anchored by sixth man of the year James Harden. Harden has been a monster off the bench, and with the midseason addition of Derek Fisher, their bench became even stronger. The Heat's bench is not as strong. Mike Miller, Shane Battier, and Udonis Haslem are solid, but it will be very hard to outperform the sixth man of the year and his squad.
Edge: Thunder 


The Pick: 
Both of these teams are very evenly match. . Some people may think LeBron may choke, and he might. But his missed shots might not matter. Durant, Westbrook and Harden could fast break past the heat. Or LeBron and D-Wade could work their magic. In addition,  Chris Bosh must perform, as well as Miami's bench. If they can't perform, the Heat will easily lose. It will be a close series, but the Thunder want it more. And this won't be their only one.
Thunder over Heat in 7 

UEFA 2012 Preview

The leading Premier League scorer will try score some goals in the Group of death. 

Xavi and his Barca and Madrid all-star team will try to win this tournament again. 

It is here. The tournament that features all of the top European players in the world. Well most of them anyway. Frank Lampard of England, David Villa of Spain, and Yoann Gourcuff of France will be absent because of various injuries.

Though Lampard, Villa, and Gourcuff will not be there. Many will be. Including newly named English captain Steven Gerrard, Premier League top goal scorer Robin Van Persie, and the Real Madrid and Barcelona all-star team. Some call this team Spain.

Can Spain pull a Euro-World Cup-Euro trifecta? Or will the Netherlands led by Van Persie and Robben win the tournament? Or, will there be an upset similar to the one in 2004 when the Greeks won?

Group Previews: Teams listed in order of predicted finish

Group A: 
Russia- The Russians are the best team in a weak group. Led by Arsenal striker Andrey Arshavin and Yuriy Zhirkov, the Russians should cruise to the next round.
Czech Republic- Usually the teams with the best players in the best leagues end up winning. With Tomas Rosicky, on Arsenal, and all-star keeper Petr Cech with Chelsea, the Czechs only major problem will be the game against Russia.
Greece- These guys made a surprise run in '04, but didn't do well in '08, and didn't qualify for the World Cup in 2010. Don't expect them to advance.
Poland- Poland is hosting which got them automatically in the tournament. That will probably be all they get.

Group B: 
Netherlands- In the so called "Group of Death", the Dutch lead the pack with a fantastic roster. Netherlands should reach at least the Semis and maybe even the final.
Germany- The Germans reached the final of Euro '08 before losing to eventual champion Spain. Led by a selection of players from Bayern Munich, which lost to Chelsea in the Champs League final, these German players are fighting for a championship.
Portugal- Group A is filled with mediocre, even bad teams, while Group B is filled with All-Star teams. Because only 2 can advance Portugal is the odd man out. Unless Christiano Ronaldo can play like the Christiano Ronaldo of Real Madrid.
Denmark- They have a couple decent Premier League players, but it will be extremely difficult for them to advance to the Knockout stage.

Group C: 
Spain: When about half your players are from two of the best teams in the world, how can you not advance?
Italy- They are not as good as they were in '06, but Gigi Buffon is still a great keeper. If they will be able to beat Croatia, they are pretty much a lock to advance.
Croatia- Luka Modric is a very,very good player. Unfortunately, he doesn't have much help, and Croatia will be stuck in third.
Ireland- Robbie Keane last played in the Premier league with Tottenham from 2009-2011. He has since struggled to be in-form with the Galaxy. He leads an aging core that will struggle to get a point, much less a win.

Group D:
France: Though they have struggled at tournaments since the '06 World Cup Final, "Les Bleus" have an unbeaten streak of 18. If Karim Benzema and Franck Ribery play well, a team that plays "Champagne Football", could reach the semis, or even the finals.
England: Joe Hart led the Premier league in clean sheets. If he can keep England in the game against France, they should be able to advance. Hopefully when Rooney comes back, the British will have already qualified for the next round.
Sweden: Led by Milan striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Sweden will try to advance to the Knockout Round. It will be a bit difficult, but if they can beat the Rooney-less Brits, they could sneak into the next round. '
Ukraine- How many players named Andriy does it take to get to the Knockout stage? More than four apparently.

Quarterfinals:                                                                                                          Quarterfinals: 
Russia vs. Germany                                                                                           Netherlands vs. Czech
Germany                                                                                                              Netherlands 


Spain vs. England                                                                                              France vs. Italy
Spain                                                                                                                   France

Semifinals 

Germany vs. Spain                         

Spain 

France vs. Netherlands 

Netherlands 

Finals: 

Spain vs. Netherlands 

Spain 

Spurs vs. Thunder Preview

Having just swept the Clippers, Tony Parker and the Spurs will take on the number two seed Thunder. 

After beating the Lakers, the Durantula and  Co. will take on the Spurs. 

The Western Conference Finals will be a battle of the new generation of the NBA vs the old guard. The #1 seed vs. the #2 seed. Kevin Durant vs. Tim Duncan. Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio. Thunder vs. Spurs.

The Spurs come into this series having won 8 straight games in the playoffs. First blowing out Utah, and then decimating the Clippers. Counting the regular season, the Spurs have won an astounding 18 games in a row. The Spurs have been led by its two stars, Tony Parker and Duncan. Parker has been putting up 19 points per game, and 7 assists, and Duncan has been contributing a team high 9 rebounds per game.

OKC has come in hot as well. Beating the Lakers 4-1, in a series which could have gone either way, as the Lakers lost leads in multiple games. As usual, the Durantula has been dominating the competition for the Thunder. He has been scoring 26 points, and getting 8 boards per game. As usual, James Harden has been contributing off the bench, scoring 17 points in 30 minutes.

Team Comparisons: 


Point Guard: Russell Westbrook (OKC) vs. Tony Parker (SA)
Both of these players are superb. On one hand there is Westbrook, the Batman to Durant's Robin, and on the other, there is Parker. Parker, once a supporting cast member to Tim Duncan, has now officially had the torch passed to him. He led the Spurs in points and assists, and finished third in player efficiency rating on his team.He also had the best assist to turnover ratio in his career. There is also the young Westbrook. Westbrook has, willingly or not, been second fiddle to Durant. He has of course contributed, but let's be real, Parker is the star, and Westbrook is the co-star. It should be fun to see these two go at it come Sunday.
Edge: San Antonio


Shooting Guard: Thabo Sefelosha (OKC) vs. Daniel Green (SA) 
Well this is a rather interesting battle. Despite starting each game, both of these players play less than their better known sixth men; James Harden for the Thunder, and Manu Ginobili for the Spurs. Green averaged 8 points during the season, while Thabo averaged just 4. Green got a little bit more playing time, 23 minutes compared to Thabo's 21, and did more with his time. These two are just really on the court in order for their more famous backups to play, but Green gets the edge, as Thabo has been struggling this playoffs.
Edge: San Antonio 


Small Forward: Kevin Durant (OKC) vs. Kawhi Leonard (SA) 
Sorry Kawhi, but Durant just won his third straight scoring title. This playoffs, he has constantly helped his team when they desperately need him. And what you have done? You've been a good starter for the Spurs and could be a vital part of the next Spurs Dynasty. But for now, it's Durant's time to shine.
Edge: Oklahoma City 


Power Forward: Serge Ibaka (OKC) vs. Tim Duncan (SA)
Ibaka is one of the best young players in the game. He can score, block shots, get boards, anything you need. Oh, and he's also 6 foot 10 and 235 pounds. In the other corner, is one of the most underrated players in the NBA. Tim Duncan, for years he has averaged a double. Until these past two years. Where he failed to reach double digit rebounds. Does that make him worse than Ibaka? No, it does not. Duncan has played and started in 184 playoff games. Ibaka has played in just 32. Duncan has experience, Ibaka doesn't. That's all you need to know.
Edge: San Antonio 


Center: Kendrick Perkins (OKC) vs. Boris Diaw (SA) 
Perkins has the experience, and was a great addition for the Thunder. Diaw is a little small, but is still a solid player. Neither of them score, but Perkins gets some boards. Neither will really be a large factor in the outcome of the games, but Perkins has won a championship, so I'll give this battle to him.
Edge: Oklahoma City 


Bench: 
Both the Thunder and the Spurs have great benches. The most intriguing battle of all on the bench, will be James Harden against Manu Ginobili. Both of these guys can score, and shoot lots of jumpers. The Thunder added Derek Fisher this season to help bolster their point guard position. Besides Ginobili, the Spurs have Tiago Splitter, Gary Neal, and Stephen Jackson. Because the Spurs have more depth in their bench, they should score more, but Harden can give Manu a run for his money.
Edge: San Antonio 


The Pick: 
Both of these teams, are really, really good. The Spurs have lots of experience in playoff games, and while the Thunder does as well, their two core players, Durant and Westbrook have never been to the finals. Parker and Duncan meanwhile, have won three championships together. This series will be really close, but the Spurs have experience in the championship, and no what it takes to win, and that should carry them over the Thunder.
Spurs over Thunder in 7

The Tale of Two Sluggers

While Pujols is struggling in Anaheim....

Kemp is thriving in Los Angeles

Los Angeles. In the so-called city of Angels, there is a certain Dodger who is standing out with 12 home runs in the month of April. 

Anaheim. The Angels spent 240 million dollars, and committed 10 years for a guy who is hitting 202, and without any home runs. 

Two sluggers, two completely different stories. There are also two completely different teams. The Dodgers are in first place in the NL West, while the Angels are already 7.5 games behind Texas. Oh, and they are in last place. So much for 240 million? 

Matt Kemp is a star. The Albert Pujols signing is looking like a bust. Many Fantasy owners and even Angels fans are starting to question the amount of money, as well as the length of the contract. Meanwhile. Dodgers fans are rejoicing, and many Matt Kemp fantasy owners are in first place in their leagues. 

Numerous Angels fan are saying “Oh its early, he’ll turnaround”. Well guess what. It’s May 4, and Albert still hasn’t homered, and has under 10 RBI’s. Then you get the people who are skeptical of Kemp’s fast start. He has faced the Pirates, and Padres among others. But, he’s also faced the Nationals, and hit a walkoff home run against them last Saturday. 

It still may be early, but Matt Kemp and Albert Pujols are true symbols of their team. Kemp and the Dodgers, a fast starting, and lots of run scoring. Pujols and the Angels, not scoring much, and in last place. But then again, Jered Weaver pitched a no-hitter on Wednesday.