2011-2012 NBA Preview & Predictions

David Stern is one sly fella. I mean, he really outdid himself with this whole lockout thing. Sure, the delay of the season stung a little bit, but can you remember a more highly anticipated start to an NBA season in recent memory? The shortened free agency period provided a whirlwind of player movement and the shortened season provides a chance for any team to find itself in the playoffs. The lockout was the best thing to ever happen to basketball!

Wait, you mean the lockout wasn't just a ploy to stir up the excitement for the season? Oh. Well, regardless, here are my predictions for the outcome of the 66-game season:

Eastern Conference
Atlantic: Boston
Central: Chicago
Southeast: Miami

Rounding out the playoffs: New York, Orlando, Indiana, Philadelphia, Milwaukee

Eastern Conf. Finals: Miami over Chicago

Western Conference
Northwest: Oklahoma City
Pacific: LA Clippers
Southwest: San Antonio

Rounding out the playoffs: Denver, Dallas, LA Lakers, Memphis, Portland

Western Conf. Finals: Oklahoma City over Denver

NBA Finals: Miami over Oklahoma City

For what it's worth...

• So what, I like a trendy pick. If you can make an argument against it, I'll listen. However, there's almost no way you can convince me LeBron James and Dwyane Wade will not end up with the O'Brien Trophy in their hands at the end of the season.
• LeBron and D-Wade will earn the rings, but Kevin Durant will take home some hardware of his own when he will receive his first NBA MVP Award. LeBron and Derrick Rose will finish second and third, respectively.
• Kyrie Irving will play a big role in Cleveland's performance this season, but Minnesota's Derrick Williams will take home Rookie of the Year honors thanks in part to the publicity he'll receive from his weekly appearances on SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays.
• Speaking of the T-Wolves, expect them to compete for the final playoff seed in the West. They are young and (brace yourself) talented. Ricky Rubio now finds himself in Minny along with the NBA's leading rebounder in Kevin Love, and a solid small forward tandem in Williams and Michael Beasley.
• So the LA Clippers are the new hotness. This comes as no surprise, considering they have an NBA Finals-caliber starting five on paper. However, the shortened season will require many teams -- including the Clips -- to play four games in five days and five games in a week. That's a lot of basketball, especially for a group of guys who have had a myriad of knee complications. I foresee a second-round departure in the playoffs.
• What will be important during the shortened season is depth. The Denver Nuggets have a roster that goes 10-12 deep and they'll ride that to the Conference Finals.
• John Wall will be the breakout player of the NBA this year. He showcased his elite speed and handles this summer playing in the Drew-Goodman games and he's poised to do the same in D.C. this season.

NFL Predictions: 2011 Edition

Hello, all. I haven't been able to touch this site much at all lately -- mainly because I've been consumed in other things as of late -- but nevertheless, here I am. As the NFL season is set to start on Thursday, here you'll find my predictions for divisional finishes, playoff picks, and scattered predictions regarding happenings during the season.

Read up and let me know what you think. Agree? Disagree? Did I rank your squad too low? Let's hear it!

NFC East                                  AFC East

1. Philadelphia                           1. New England
2. Dallas                                    2. NY Jets
3. NY Giants                             3. Miami
4. Washington                            4. Buffalo

NFC North                               AFC North
1. Green Bay                             1. Pittsburgh
2. Detroit                                   2. Baltimore
3. Chicago                                 3. Cleveland
4. Minnesota                              4. Cincinnati

NFC South                               AFC South
1. New Orleans                         1. Houston
2. Atlanta                                  2. Indianapolis
3. Tampa Bay                           3. Tennessee
4. Carolina                                4. Jacksonville

NFC West                                AFC West
1. St. Louis                               1. San Diego
2. Arizona                                2. Kansas City
3. San Francisco                       3. Oakland
4. Seattle                                   4. Denver

NFC Wild Cards: Atlanta, Dallas
AFC Wild Cards: NY Jets, Baltimore

NFC Champion: New Orleans
AFC Champion: New England

Super Bowl XLVI Champion: New England

For what it's worth...

• I know, I know. Real ballsy Super Bowl pick there, Andrew. Hey, if I were a betting man, my money would be on Tom Brady and the Pats. He's said that he'll "never get over" last season's postseason loss to the Jets. Add that fiery persona to his new toy Chad Ochocinco and you've got yourself a prime Super Bowl candidate.
• Brady will take home the Lombardi Trophy, but Drew Brees will earn himself his first MVP Award. After throwing a career-high 22 interceptions in 2010, Brees will bounce back and lead the Saints to another Super Bowl berth.
• The Detroit Lions will have a chance to finish 10-6 -- if Matthew Stafford can stay healthy, that is.
• Peyton Manning's consecutive games played streak will end. Whether it's the first game or somewhere else during the season, Brett Favre's streak will breathe a sigh of relief.
• Jake Locker will have the best season of any rookie quarterback after taking over for Matt Hasselbeck early on in the season.
• The Denver Broncos' Von Miller will walk away with the Defensive Rookie of the Year Award just ahead of Houston's J.J. Watt, while Locker will fall short to Julio Jones for the Offensive honors.
• The Buffalo Bills will find themselves in the thick of 'The Andrew Luck Sweepstakes' along with the Cincinnati Bengals.
• While Julio Jones will have the best year of any rookie wideout, be on the lookout for Cleveland Browns rookie flanker Greg Little. With Colt McCoy at quarterback, I expect Little to have a year similar to Cincinnati's A.J. Green.

MLB Mid-Season Awards

The once blank stat sheets are now filled, the aroma of the fresh-cut grass has since been flushed out by the stomping and tearing of spiked cleats, and the sound of the perforated edges of brand new season tickets tearing is but a distant memory. The 2011 MLB season is halfway through and the lead actors of the show have already emerged. Here are my picks for the "So-Far Awards":

American League

Rookie of the Year: Michael Pineda (SEA, SP)

I was tempted to go with the Angels' Mark Trumbo here because of the way the standings look as of now, but all things considered, I think Pineda has earned it. He has been able to match teammate and reigning Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez pitch-for-pitch and has benefited from the lack of pressure placed upon him. He is 8-6 through 18 starts with an 3.03 ERA and has the lowest H/9IP on the starting rotation (6.5) and leads the AL in K/9 (9.0).

Honorable mention: Mark Trumbo (LAA, 1B)

Cy Young: Justin Verlander (DET, SP)

This was a no-brainer pick for me. I'm sure you could make a case for C.C. Sabathia, the current leader in Wins, or Jered Weaver, the current ERA leader, but Verlander has outshined them both by a considerable amount. He is second in Wins (12) and ERA (2.15) and is first in each of the following categories: IP (151.0), Ks (147), WHIP (0.87). He has also thrown his second no-hitter and has come close to throwing another. I can guarantee you American League hitters have been having nightmares about Verlander.

Honorable mention: Jered Weaver (LAA, SP), C.C. Sabathia (NYY, SP)

MVP: Adrian Gonzalez (BOS, 1B)

This was a tough call for me. Gonzalez and Toronto's Jose Bautista are 1-2 in virtually every offensive statistic, but I've given Gonzo the edge based on the fact that the Red Sox are leading the division and the Blue Jays are 2 games under .500, 11 games back of the Sox, and are currently in 4th place in the AL East. I don't care how good of a season you're having; if your team is in the cellar of your division, you can't win the MVP. Gonzo is batting .354 with 17 HR, 77 RBI, and a 1.006 OPS.

Honorable mention: José Bautista (TOR, OF)

National League

Rookie of the Year: Freddie Freeman (ATL, 1B)

The 21-year-old phenom is off to a stellar start to his rookie season, for which many fans had set prior expectations. His bat bolsters the high-powered Atlanta offense and is a big reason why the Braves have been able to keep pace with the Philadelphia Phillies (currently sitting 3.5 games back). Freeman is batting .274 with 13 round-trippers, 43 RBI, and has a .347 OBP. Freddie and good pal Jason Heyward (also a 21-year-old) look to be a feared tandem for seasons to come.

Honorable mention: Danny Espinosa (WSH, 2B), Darwin Barney (CHC, 2B)

Cy Young: Jair Jurrjens (ATL, SP)

His name just as difficult to spell as it is to pronounce. And batters have found that he is equally difficult to hit. Jurrjens' microscopic 1.87 ERA (1st in NL), 12 wins (1st), and his consistency (.800 win percentage) have paced the Braves' starting rotation and earned him his first All-Star selection.

Honorable mention: Roy Halladay (PHI, SP)

MVP: Prince Fielder (MIL, 1B)

The Dodger fan in me begs to give the nod to Matt Kemp, but the realist knows that no cellar-dweller can produce the MVP, regardless of how ridiculously good his stats are. I'm giving Prince the edge over the New York Mets' Jose Reyes here, mainly because I don't see Reyes as an MVP-caliber guy. Fielder has knocked in a league-leading 72 runs to add to his 22 bombs and is only adding to his resumé, which will come into play this winter when he becomes a free agent. He has the Brew Crew sitting atop the NL  Central, tied with the St. Louis Cardinals.

Honorable mention: José Reyes (NYM, SS), Matt Kemp (LAD, OF)

Album Review: Finally Famous

After four years and three Finally Famous mixtapes, Big Sean and GOOD Music are able to put Finally Famous: The Album on shelves and into CD players. I've listened to the album all the way through, track-by-track, a total of three times. I've listened to select songs more frequently, but I feel you can only truly judge an album by listening to the entire thing in the order the artist intended. Oftentimes, there is no other way to hear the story of the album.

I've been a fan of Sean's since his second tape, Vol. 2: UKNOWBIGSEAN, dropped a couple years back and have since downloaded the rest of his material. I tried to review Finally Famous while keeping his prior works in mind. If you are a Big Sean fan and you know his style, you won't be let down by his debut. If you listen to the radio and you turn up the volume when "My Last" comes on, I'd just pay for the single song on iTunes and stick with that.

Sean doesn't stray too far from what has brought him success in the past: clever punchlines, timely guest features, and a great selection of beats that seamlessly fit his charismatic flow. He's never going to be much of a story-teller and the content of his songs may be limited, but this is his first album and he is still growing as an artist. 

I will say one thing though. Without the impeccable production from No I.D. (the album's producer), The Neptunes, Xaphoon Jones of Chiddy Bang, and Da Internz, this album is mediocre at best. Luckily, Sean got the beats and was able to do just enough with them to not completely waste them.

Album Awards

Best Verse: Verse 3, "Memories (Part II)" feat. John Legend

One of my favorite songs on the album, "Memories" showcases Sean's introspective side as he looks back on the beginning of his career and the people who supported him early on, including his mother, his grandmother, and Kanye West.

Remember the first time I was rhyming for Kan’

                                    Almost as nervous as the first time I rhymed for my mom
                                       Sold out the theater downtown, she said it was perfect
                                                               But I already dreamed it

                                                              So it felt like I rehearsed it

Roll Down the Windows, Turn Up the Volume: "Dance (A$$)"

The content of the song may be next-to-useless, but the slapping snares, booming bassline, and a catchy sample of MC Hammer's  "U Can't Touch This" make this one a certified banger. Twist the knob to the right and let it shake your speakers.

Best Guest Appearance: Chiddy Bang on "High"

Lupe Fiasco may have had the best verse of the entire album on "Wait for Me", but I enjoyed Chiddy Bang's showcase on "High" much more. The duo consisting of Chiddy and Xaphoon Jones were able to spin their style to mesh with Sean's and it just worked. Chiddy's verse was airtight and Xaphoon's production, although the softest beat on the album, can put you in a trance quite easily. In other news, Wiz Khalifa managed to not completely ruin the song.

Bottom Line: Big Sean's Finally Famous is not a classic in my opinion. Punchlines don't make classics. That being said, I think it's as solid as debut albums get nowadays and will definitely be the album of the summer. "My Last" and "Marvin & Chardonnay" are certified commercial smashes and the rest of the tracks will serve as suitable cruisin' tunes. Given Sean's relative lack of exposure, I think anything over 200,000 units moved in the first week can be viewed as a success. Numbers may not affect this album, but they definitely can affect his future work.

Final Rating (out of a possible 5):  1/2

It Takes Two (or more), Baby

Since LeBron left Cleveland for Miami, there has been a lot of talk about him not being able to "do it on his own" and that he needed to team up with other stars for a shot at a title. I think this argument is valid in the sense that I agree LeBron can not win a championship by himself. My argument is...who has? I picked apart the rosters of the past 30 NBA Championship teams (thanks to Basketball-Reference) and came to the conclusion that 27 out of the past 30 champions had at least two Hall of Famer/All Star/top tier players.

The three teams that won it all without two star players are the 1994 and 1995 Rockets, who rode the back of Hakeem Olajuwon during Michael Jordan's two-year hiatus, and the 2004 Pistons, who relied on one of the most suffocating defenses in NBA history.


1980 Lakers: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Magic Johnson
1981 Celtics: Larry Bird, Robert Parish, and Kevin McHale
1982 Lakers: Kareem, Magic, and Bob McAdoo
1983 76ers: Julius Erving and Moses Malone
1984 Celtics: Bird, Parish, McHale, and Dennis Johnson
1985 Lakers: Kareem, Magic, McAdoo, and James Worthy
1986 Celtics: Bird, Parish, McHale, and Bill Walton
1987 Lakers: Kareem, Magic, and Worthy
1988 Lakers: Kareem, Magic, and Worthy
1989 Pistons: Isiah Thomas, Adrian Dantley, Joe Dumars, and Dennis Rodman
1990 Pistons: Thomas, Dumars, and Rodman
1991 Bulls: Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen
1992 Bulls: Jordan and Pippen
1993 Bulls: Jordan and Pippen
1996 Bulls: Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman
1997 Bulls: Jordan, Pippen, Rodman, and Parish (in his 20th NBA season)
1998 Bulls: Jordan, Pippen, and Rodman
1999 Spurs: Tim Duncan and David Robinson
2000 Lakers: Shaquille O'Neal and Kobe Bryant
2001 Lakers: Shaq and Kobe
2002 Lakers: Shaq and Kobe
2003 Spurs: Duncan, Robinson, and Tony Parker
2005 Spurs: Duncan, Parker, and Manu Ginobili
2006 Heat: O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, and Gary Payton
2007 Spurs: Duncan, Parker, and Ginobili
2008 Celtics: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen, and Rajon Rondo
2009 Lakers: Kobe and Pau Gasol
2010 Lakers: Kobe and Gasol

Just a little food for thought for ya.

P.S. How awesome is the Lakers-Celtics dominance? Wow.

Just Spell the Word!

So I wake up today and the first thing I turn on is the Scripps National Spelling Bee. I usually leave it on and watch it with my eyes glued in wonder at the brains on some of these kids. I mean, what 12 year old do you know can spell appoggiatura in front of a hall full of people and many more watching on television? I'm pretty sure I was collecting baseball cards and flicking boogers at that age.

Anyway, as I prepared to be amazed, I quickly grew annoyed.

Uh, can you repeat the word?
Can I have the definition?
What's the country of origin?
Can you use the word in a sentence?
Am I saying the word right?
Can you repeat the definition?
Are there any alternate pronunciations?
You said it was French, right?


Bro just spell the word! Are you kidding me right now? Might as well ask for the spelling of the damn word! If I was in charge of the Spelling Bee, I'd take those questions out of the rule book quicker than you can spell staphylococci.

You want the definition? Should have studied that beforehand, dude. Country of origin? Nope, sorry. Webster's dictionary has all that info for you. Want a sentence? Make one up yourself. Tough luck. What other test have you taken where you can just ask a load of questions to help your cause? Good luck in 8th grade, kid. That type of thing ain't gonna fly there.

Oh, well there's too many words to memorize blah blah blah. Cry me a river, bro. Sometimes winning takes a little luck. If you didn't study the word, you're just shit outta luck. Plain and simple.

Someone needs to take a stand and stick it to these nerds. Might as well be me.

Inside the Cyber Life of an NBA 2K11 Star

Like many gamers out there, I spend much of my gaming time playing NBA 2K11. The game really isn't worth playing if you don't play online so that's really the only aspect of the game I have delved into. Let me make one thing clear before I continue: I am not particularly skilled at this game. That being said, it's not uncommon for me to get absolutely demolished by some nerd that spends 22 hours a day on Xbox Live. However, I can hold my own if I catch rythym. (By the way, my Xbox gamertag is AyeCee16. Add me if you got it.)

I have what I like to call a gamer's conscience, meaning I feel guilty using any of the following teams: Heat, Lakers, Celtics, Bulls. If I had to put a percentage on it, I play against these teams probably around 95% of the time I play. They're just so unstoppable if you really know how to play the game. My team of choice is the Thunder. They have skilled players, but are still bad enough in some areas that I feel somewhat accomplished if I win.

My go-to guy is Kevin Durant and for good reason. He's a lanky, yet smooth, player with a deadly shot. He's rated a 91 in the game, which is right at he bottom of what is considered elite. LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, and Kobe Bryant are all rated 97, to put it in perspective. A 91-rated player should be able to dominate any game if given the right opportunities to do so, right? That's what I thought too, until just the other night.

So I sign in to Xbox Live, I pick the Thunder, set my roster, and get ready for tip-off. The rest of the 20 minute game can be summed up in three words: Pull. Flick. Clank. Those are the pulling of the right joystick, the flick of its release to shoot the ball, and the clank of the ball hitting the rim and bouncing seemingly further away from the basket with each and every shot.

The right joystick has never been and hopefully never will be as fruitless as it was on that night. Durant was ice cold, shooting 2-18 from the field, scoring only 10 points (he was 6-6 from the line). I was playing the Celtics and they are a fine defensive team in their own right, but I was finding KD some prime looks at the basket. Layups, mid-range jumpers, three pointers all falling by the wayside. The game ended, I lost by a considerable margin, and I immediately began to think about what went wrong.

I mean, how could a player SO good be SO bad in a video game? It's not like he has feelings, right? After a moment of self-blame, it came to me. Is it possible that Kevin Durant actually has a cyber life inside the game itself? I know it seems crazy, but hear me out. I bet his cyber girlfriend sent him a text message breakup right before the game, right? That has to be it. Or I know, him and Russell Westbrook got into a cyber tussle in the locker room before warmups. Yeah, that explains it.

Maybe he had a bad plate of cyber pasta. You know, cyber food poisoning. No way he could play through that. Ah, there were probably cyber trade rumors coming from management. What do I know? I don't deal with the brass of the organization, I'm just the puppeteer. He's probably upset with his cyber contract. I'm rated a freakin' 91! Pay me like a 91! He had to realize he's being underpaid sooner or later.

There's nothing to do in Oklahoma City other than drink and watch college football. He probably went on a bender the night before. Yeah there we go, a cyber hangover. Just went David Wells on 'em. That bastard probably threw the game! Someone made him a cyber offer he couldn't refuse and he was able to put a little extra cash in his pocket after bricking up the joint.

It has to be one of those reasons, right? It just has to. It couldn't be my fault. No way.