Saturday, January 30, 2016

Australian Open. Blowouts coming

It really is a shame it has to boil down to this. Of all the gifted tennis players in the world, both male and female, you'd think the finals of a major tournament would feature more competitive matches. 

But the Australian Open seems to have two lop-sided affairs coming up.

On the XX chromosome side, we have American Serena Williams, age 34, going up against German Angelique Kerber, age 28. Serena has yet to lose a single set in this year's tournament, and when's the last time you heard of Angelique's name being mentioned? 

Granted, Ms. Kerber is a bit long in the tooth as tennis players go, but Ms. Williams is absolutely ancient. Though still very much a dominant player, one is left to wonder when Serena's great fall will happen. Her sister Venus, merely a year older, crashed and burned years ago as a world-class singles player, and was ousted by an unknown in the opening round of this year's Aussie Open. Color Venus gone. But Serena keeps marching on in her banana/canary outfit. Here's at least hoping she has it laundered between matches. 

Nevertheless, her day will come, but not in this tournament. Look for Serena to blitz Angelique. The media will start their usual "grand slam sweep" possibilities and the younger Williams sister will pose for a few more ads along the way. Hopefully not in yellow. It is difficult to reconcile a woman trying to pass herself off as ladylike and chic when one has witnessed all the grunting, screaming, and sometimes chimpanzee-esque actions she typically displays on a tennis court. But she's going to win this one -- likely quite easily.

On the XY chromosome side, we have Novac Djokovic, a Serb, squaring off against Andy Murray, a Brit. Djokovic bested the seemingly ageless Swiss Roger Federer in the semi-finals, while Murray outlasted Canadian Milos Raonic as well. All four are terrific players. With the seemingly early swoon of Rafael Nadal, Federer would likely have added a few more major titles to his already bulging showcase -- if not for Djokovic. But that's the way it works out sometimes. On that note, one can also wonder when Federer will crash and burn himself. Surely, it has to be coming soon.

Time out. A guy named Milos Raonic is a Canadian? Really? What province did he come from?

Andy Murray will likely be the crowd favorite when he faces off against Djokovic in the Finals. After all, the Aussies still retain a lot of British heritage, considering they were once a colony of His or Her Majesty's Empire. Don't they still have provinces of their own named Queensland and New South Wales? But wait a second. Didn't they rise up and throw their English oppressors out a century or two ago so they could be an independent country free of such tyranny? And they'll likely be rooting for a Brit to win their championship? That seems odd, but so did Crocodile Dundee falling head over heels for that dorky American big city girl that didn't know a kangaroo from a can of tuna fish. But I suppose the folks Down Under have their ways. Go figure.

At any rate, the men's Finals will likely be another blow-out as well. Andy Murray is without a doubt a world class tennis player. He doesn't grunt like Serena, or scream on every shot like so many other female players do. God, that's annoying. But he has his own little high pitched squeak when he serves. Kind of like the last sound one would expect to hear of a mouse as the trap slammed shut on its neck. 

Andy is certainly animated, and can become even McEnroe-ish on the court with his verbals. He rants at himself, the umpire in the chair, and likely to the Almighty above when things aren't going his way. Or sometimes when they are. Let's just say he wears his emotions on his sleeves. 

On the other hand Novac remains quite stoic. He might mumble to himself occasionally, but rarely will we see an emotional outburst from the Serb. Djokovic has become almost android-ish when it comes to playing tennis. The man has no weaknesses, never gets "gassed" no matter how long a match may drag on, and seems oblivious to a hostile crowd rooting against him. He just keeps playing and hitting winners. 

Murray might win a set. Maybe. But in the end, Djokovic will win the title. Like Serena, at this point in time, the competition doesn't even matter. Both of them are far above whatever opponent managed to survive the other half of the bracket to make their way into the Finals. 

Though the matches have to be played, they're just a mere formality. 

Barring some sort of injury, they will likely both be blowouts. 

Serena and Novac are just too damned good. Period. 

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Detroit Lions. Another yawn

A lot of Lions fans thought late owner William Clay Ford must have been the problem. After all, he'd been in charge since 1963. Many coaches came and went, certainly entire generations of players, two new stadiums were built, and front office personnel was shuffled.

Still, the Lions remained the Lions all along. As in "same old". In the rare years when they were semi-competitive, they offered up just enough to keep their koolaided fans (and faithful media) hopeful for better things to come. Next year was always going to be the year.

The magical next year never happened. The Lions would crash and burn, and the whole process would start over again. It's been going on for over a half century.

But WCF can be blamed no longer. He has an airtight alibi, as in he's no longer alive. His dear widow Martha, now 90 herself, is running the show along with her daughters. Good luck with that.

Not long ago, the Lions underwent quite the purge. The president was fired, as was the GM, along with the offensive coordinator and a few coaches. Martha was doing quite the house cleaning and it was certainly long overdue. Even more recently, the Lions, in their infinite wisdom, have seen fit to can a few marketing people and even trainers. Will the waterboys be marched off to the guillotine next?

Yet the lead actor somehow survived. That would be head coach Jim Caldwell.

JC is an interesting sort. He was smart enough to endear himself to ownership -- Martha "loves" him, and always seems to say the "right things". The press also loves him because he's so accessible. On top of that, Caldwell is considered a "players coach". They love him as well.

So what could go wrong? Mostly the fact Caldwell is still there. His track record strongly suggests he's well suited to be an able lieutenant, but not cut out to be a general. He may be a nice guy and all, but this is not what the Lions need. They need somebody smart, tough, and demanding. A no-nonsense guy that won't shy away from hammering his own players, if necessary, in the pursuit of excellence. No more wishy-washy stuff about a player working hard and showing "potential". Either get it done -- NOW -- or you're gone. Period. Caldwell will never be that person.

JC's track record to date with the Lions falls into the category of "very predictable". Like in Indianapolis before, he inherited a team his predecessor had put together. In his first (2014) season with Detroit, the Lions had been so bad the previous year the NFL gave them a patsy schedule befitting such a sub-par team.

The Lions would go on to squeak into the playoffs (along the way catching every break imaginable to do so) and make a predictable first round exit.

But they had made the playoffs, hence their 2015 schedule would be a bit tougher. And so it was. Besides their mandatory 6 division games, the Lions had to play some good teams at the start of the season. The result? They were clobbered every which way and their season was basically over before Halloween. The back end of the schedule was a bit kinder, and the Lions won some meaningless games after it didn't even matter any more.

The upshot? The Lions' faithful, likely including Martha and the girls, forgot about the first half of season -- which was telling -- and only considered what a great "turnaround" Caldwell had engineered. It was the usual Lions' "fool's gold". The fans and media bought in yet again. These guys are getting better, they claimed. Reload the season tickets and sit with bated breath when the draft comes around. Anything's possible next year. It could be the one.

No, it won't be. If anything, the 2016 season will be just another cruel punishment inflicted on the sappies. Given their sub-par 2015 performance, the NFL has once again handed the Lions an easy schedule. The Lions could well go 10-6 or 11-5 again and make another playoff appearance. Jim Caldwell would probably get a contract extension. But does anybody seriously think the Lions would even remotely be considered as Super Bowl contenders? Of course not. The Motown koolaid is strong, but hopefully not THAT strong.

Look around the league and even at the Lions themselves. Carolina is sitting on top of the NFC. Seattle will be back, and Arizona is really good. Heck, within their own division, Minnesota's on the upswing and if Green Bay can ever stay healthy, they remain a force.

Meanwhile, Calvin, the former Megatron Johnson, doesn't even know if he wants to play next year. Can't blame him. He's got enough money and has taken enough beatings. The Lions O-line remains Keystone Koppish, they don't have a decent running back, have a bevy of tight ends -- but even when they can stay healthy, none are complete players. Their D-line also remains in flux, the linebacker corps is average at best. the secondary is unsettled, and they have over 20 guys that are in contract limbo.

Many say defensive coordinator Teryl Austin is worthy of being a head coach somewhere. Well, he's interviewed for 7 such jobs recently, and nobody else has found him fit to hire. He'll be back with the Lions because he doesn't have a helluva lot of choice.

So yeah. Let the hype begin for the Detroit Lions and their 2016 "possibilities". But in the end, you just know what's going to happen. They'll do just enough to keep the suckers coming back for even more frustration. And they'll willingly do so. Such is their nature. Poor devils.

When it comes to the Lions -- it's just another year. After over a half century of futility, who's even counting any more?




Wednesday, January 27, 2016

Kevin Durant. What's next?

NBA fans know Kevin Durant as a superstar player for the Oklahoma City Thunder. He once led them to the Finals, but never quite over the top. Along with Russell Westbrook, they've formed quite the dynamic duo in Okie land. The Thunder made a horrible mistake letting point guard James Hardin get away to free agency in Houston, which likely doomed whatever chances they had at a title, but that's a story for another day. Nevertheless, the landscape has changed.

While the Thunder remain a very good team in the West, nobody would seriously doubt Golden State has become the class of the field. The San Antonio Spurs continue their standard of excellence, and the LA Clippers seem destined to forever be yappy wannabes.

Recently, Kevin Durant and the Thunder played a game against the Knicks in NYC. Durant said he LOVED the place.

True, Phil Jackson has done an admirable job with the mess he inherited. The Knicks have gone from jokes to almost a .500 team.

Thing is, Durant will be an unrestricted free agent after this year. He can go anywhere, and he'll surely get a max salary wherever he lands. Would he stay in Okla? Maybe. Has the siren song of the bright lights in the Big Apple become too alluring? Maybe. But if he goes to Madison Square Garden, he's not going to win a championship there either. In fact, he'd never even see another Finals -- not as long as Lebron and Co. in Cleveland continue rolling along. That could be several more years.

Sure, he and his agent might be able to squeeze a few more million out of some teams than others, but if he ever wants to win a championship, there's a logical choice. And does it really matter whether he makes $20 million or $25 million a year? No sane person can spend that much money anyway.

If I'm the San Antonio Spurs, I quietly begin putting out feelers as to whether Durant would be willing to come play for coach Popovic in Alamoland. True, it would have to be on the sly -- friend of a friend of a friend type of thing -- else the Spurs would get slammed for "tampering" while KD is still under contract. But surely there are ways of unofficially communicating such a message.

Consider the Spurs' current situation. They know they're a good team -- arguably the second best in the entire league. But they also know Golden State is a step above them. Further consider that despite all his brilliance over the many years he's played, center Tim Duncan will be retiring soon. This year might well be his last go-round.

The Spurs have some other players getting long in the tooth, like Tony Parker and Manu Genobili, but they likely still have a couple good years left in them. They also have what might quietly be the best young all-around player in the NBA. Kawhi Leonard. And Lamarcus Aldredge. And nobody finds and develops overseas talent like Coach Pop and the Spurs. The Spurs routinely play almost their entire roster in any given game. Such is the nature of the system Pop has developed, and it's worked well.

But as is, chances are the Spurs won't be able to get past the Warriors in the playoffs. Golden State is just too good.

Yet plug in a 27 year old Durant at the prime of his career to replace Duncan, especially under Coach Pop's tutelage, and the landscape could shift again.

No, KD wouldn't get all the press, glamour, and endorsements he might playing for the Knicks, much less the woeful la-la land Lakers, but he'd have a legitimate shot at winning a championship. Besides, the only year of college ball he played was in -- yep -- Texas. One could consider it a homecoming of sort.

It will be interesting to see where Durant lands after this season. Pretty sure it won't be in such places as Utah, Detroit, Sacramento, or Philly. Even a superstar has his limitations when it comes to making a big difference on another team. Some NBA outposts require nothing less than Divine intervention to change their misfortunes. Or at least people in charge that know what the hell they're doing and have a plan.



Panthers, Warriors, and Huskies

If one is as clueless as yours truly, they might draw the same parallel. The Carolina Panthers are to the NFL what the Golden State Warriors are to the NBA. Consider:

The Panthers have the best record in the league, are young, and led by a super-star QB named Cam Newton.

The Warriors are also young, have the best record in their league, and are led by by super-star point guard named Steph Curry.

Carolina's only loss came in Atlanta. A head scratcher. After being so dominant at home and on the road elsewhere during the season -- how could they possible lose to the lowly Falcons? Then come back to blitz the Seattle Seahawks and absolutely obliterate a very good Arizona Cardinals team in the playoffs?

On a similar note, while nobody expects an NBA team to go undefeated, how could the Warriors lose to the lowly Detroit Pistons on the road -- then come back to annihilate a fully healthy Cleveland Cavaliers team a couple days later? The beat down was so bad on the shores of Lake Erie, the Cavs fired their head coach.

True, the Warriors won the NBA championship last year, and the Panthers have merely made the "Finals", AKA the Super Bowl. Maybe they win and maybe they lose. But perhaps that's the thing with these two teams.

They're both immensely talented in all phases of the game, but are beatable in any given contest if the other team plays extremely well and a break or three goes their way. It can happen.

Thing is, if either one of these teams gets on a "roll" during a game-- look out. Witness what Carolina did to the Arizona Cards in the NFC championship game. Witness what Golden State is capable of doing to any opponent, anywhere, when they go on a "run". Once either starts, it has a steam-rolling effect and is almost impossible to stop. What was a close game can become a total blow-out in the course of a few minutes.

This is not to underestimate the Denver Broncos' chances in the Super Bowl. They are a worthy team indeed. And a lot of people would like to see Peyton Manning ride off into the sunset as a champion. Could happen. The down side to that, of course, is we'd likely get bombarded with even MORE of his moronic commercial endorsements. Horrors!! If he and his Broncos lost, maybe those ads would mercifully finally fade away. The "mute" on my mute button has worn off from so many times of pressing it when a Peyton commercial comes on. Hundreds, thousands, seemingly billions of them at every hour of the day or night.

My boss/editor recently told me the NFL gods wouldn't deny Peyton his last chance at another Lombardi trophy. Maybe not, but if the fan gods get a vote, I'm hoping they'll see the wisdom in sparing us mere mortals the agony of having to suffer through another year or two of Peyton hawking various products for money he obviously doesn't need. The man has no shame.

For that reason only, I hope the Panthers clobber the Broncos in Super Bowl 50. True, Cam Newton is beginning to get on the commercial bandwagon himself with dopey videos, but he's got a long ways to go before catching up to chicken neck's stats when it comes to being totally shameless. (Though I must admit, him climbing into an ice bath tub with a teammate was a good start).

And c'mon, the dude just signed a $100+ million dollar contract last June. Shouldn't that be enough money? Does he really need to whore himself out like Peyton has over the years? If we ever see him advertising Fig Newtons, then we'll know he's gone off the deep end. Here's hoping he straightens up and shows a little -- make that a lot -- more class than the Manning brothers have in recent times when it comes to such things.

When it comes to being capable of total dominance, another team should be added to the Carolina Panthers and the Golden State Warriors.

Enter the UConn Lady Huskies. Geno's Bambinos if you will. They don't get much TV time and even less press coverage, but what they have done in recent years is truly remarkable. They are likely the greatest sports dynasty of all time, eclipsing John Wooden's UCLA Bruins, the Boston Celtics' run in the 50s-60s, coach Pat's Tennessee Vols, and any other team that has come along before or since -- in ANY sport. But because they're girls, they don't get the attention they deserve.

In a recent article summing up the men's college basketball rankings, much was said about how some teams had gone up or down. A mere footnote was devoted to UConn, saying they won their last two games by an average of 54 points and remained #1. Well, no kidding. When a team is a three-time defending national champion, remains undefeated this year, and is blistering any and all competition, it doesn't take a genius to figure out who should be considered the top dogs. By a long shot. Fifty four point margins of victory? A lot of female college basketball teams don't score 54 points in an entire game, let alone win by that much. It's outrageous, and speaks volumes to UConn's vast superiority. They've graduated super-star players to the WNBA, but keep plugging in new ones, and the beat goes on in Storrs.

Carolina might well win the Super Bowl in a couple weeks, and Golden State another NBA title in June. No doubt each would be deserving of much fanfare/hype. And they would certainly get it.

But the UConn Lady Huskies have already set a standard so high, that no other team, in any other sport, will ever be able to match it again. And they're still going as strong as ever. A truly remarkable run for the ages, with no end in sight yet.

Sure, yours truly will be tuned in to watch the Super Bowl. Then the Daytona 500. Then on to the rites of spring like the Masters golf tourney and the Indy 500. Wouldn't miss them for anything.

And when it comes to the NCAA college hoop tourney, I can channel surf with the best of them.

But I'll always be keeping an eye out for whatever obscure cable channel airs a UConn game. The program Geno Auriemma has built over the years is second to none in the entire sports world. It's not even a close call.






Sunday, January 24, 2016

What Tom Brady SHOULD say

First, congrats to the Denver Broncos for knocking off the Patriots in the AFC Championship game. No doubt, the media will be swarming around Peyton Manning, and far be it from Archie's boy to shy away from cameras. How many dumb commercial endorsements has he already made and how many times have we groaned when they keep popping up on TV -- over, and over, and freaking-ay over again. Obviously, the man has no shame.

But there will come a time (likely soon) when Tom Brady is forced to take center stage in front of the news hounds. They'll want his take on how and why the Patriots lost the game in Denver.

When that happens, if things go as they have in the past, Brady will likely trot out the usual party lines. The Patriots missed opportunities, didn't execute well in certain situations, and overall they just didn't get the job done.

But if he wants to be open and honest -- here's what Brady SHOULD say ---

[First of all, I stunk. Those interceptions I threw in the first half were inexcusable. After all my years in the league, I'm supposed to know better than to make stupid throws like that.

Second, the offensive line put me in that position. They stunk too. The reason I was trying to make something happen with such awkward throws was because I was under siege for most of the game. The big guys up front that are supposed to protect me became a screen door on a submarine. All I knew was after getting the ball, it was a-thousand one, a-thousand two, and a swarm of orange jerseys in my face. I did the best I could.

Third, the game plan from the coaches was stupid. Even an idiot knew Denver was damn near impossible to rush on, and we were down to our third string running back. So why did coach Bellichick and his merry band of geniuses call any running plays at all? They weren't going to work. Especially with that pitiful O-line trying to block for them.

Fourth, for whatever reason, our usually reliable place kicker missed an extra point early in the game. That changed the whole complexion of everything from then on. How can this guy be so reliable from 40-50 yards on field goal attempts, but miss a gimme like an extra point? If he'd made that, we wouldn't have been forced to go for a two point conversion -- which failed -- to tie the game in its waning seconds. Then we're talking overtime. Anything could happen. But he blew it. I know it, he knows it, the rest of the players know it, and our fans back home DAMN sure know it.

I don't expect the media to ever find fault with somebody these days with whatever happens on the field. Oh no. They remain too busy in their politically correct world coming up with superlatives for anything a player might have got right. Hey, good players are supposed to make good plays. This is nothing special.

But when I, the coaching staff, and the O-line stink it up, chances are we're going to lose against a good team. Throw in a crucial missed extra point -- and there you have it.

And let's get real. If we hadn't been such collective boneheads, losing 4 of our last 6 six regular season games against sub-par competition (the Eagles, Jets, and Dolphins? Really?), we wouldn't have been in Denver at all. They would have had to come to Foxborough -- where we have long owned them.

But it is what it is and we got beat. Denver wasn't all that. We just stunk.]

In the NFC, the high-flying Carolina Panthers obliterated the Arizona Cardinals. No surprise that they won but, dang, who saw a total blow-out like that coming?

Carolina vs Denver in the Super Bowl -- to be played in the San Fran 49ers spanking new fancy stadium in Santa Clara. Let the hype begin. The next two weeks will be chock full of it. Armies of experts, talking heads, analysts, and stats from hell coming at us.

Meanwhile, Tom Brady has to go home to the condolences of his super-model wife, and maybe tally up his countless millions one more time.

Poor devil.






Saturday, January 23, 2016

Very strange sports things

So David Blatt was canned as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers? That seemed strange, given the Cavs had made it to the NBA Finals last year and had the best record in the Eastern Conference this year.

Then again, it was easy to wonder just which country David Blatt had allegiance to. Born in Massachusetts, he eventually immigrated to Israel to coach, said he became "much more Jewish and and much more Zionist" while there, and went on to other stops in Russia and Turkey along the way. This qualified him as a well traveled international coach, but hardly constituted a glowing resume as NBA head coaching material. The game is played a lot differently abroad than it is stateside.

Nevertheless, in their infinite wisdom, the Cleveland Cavaliers inked Blatt to a 5 year contract to run their team, though he had ZERO NBA experience beforehand. Hey, doesn't that Dan Gilbert Quicken Loans guy still own the team? You know, the same fine gentleman that is investing millions in the Detroit business district while professing his love for all things Cleveland. Very strange.

Thing is, the Cavs have to pay Blatt's considerable salary through the 2018 season. He can kick back and do nothing for the next three and a half years while the millions continue to roll in. Well OK, maybe the Cavs wanted a REAL American to run their team. So they hired ----- Tyronn Lue. Does it get any more American than a guy named Tyronn coaching basketball? Maybe not so strange.

But it gets weirder. Before Blatt, the Cavs had fired head coach Mike Brown. They're still on the hook for HIS salary through 2018 as well. Throw in Lue's 3-year deal, and bow-tie Dan will be paying three head coaches through the 2018 season -- two of them no longer even working for his organization. That loan business must have money to spare galore.

On to the NFL playoffs.

In the AFC, the New England Patriots are a 3 point favorite going on the road against the Denver Broncos. Sounds about right. But a current Sports Illustrated article seemed a bit strange. It pointed out that Denver has the top-ranked defense in the league, and the Pats' two best linebackers are banged up and still iffy. Further, Brady and Co. will be without the services of their top running back. History tells us that Brady has an 11-5 record against Peyton Manning, but a not-go-good 2-6 record when his Pats play at Mile High. Add it up, and one would think the odds tilt a bit in Denver's favor.

But the SI scribe fearlessly predicted the Patriots would clobber the Broncos to the tune of 42-17. Really? A twenty five point beat down? As in over 3 touchdowns worth? In Denver? Very strange indeed.

In the NFC, his prediction was Carolina 34, Arizona 23. Obviously, he thinks the Panthers will easily cover the 3 point spread. The Cardinals have been the NFL's best road team while Carolina remains unbeaten at home. Something has to give.

But it won't be yours truly to Biker George (see previous post -- stage right). He dinged me for a Jackson when I was foolish enough to think Seattle would knock off his hometown Panthers. Then he offered a chance for me to get my money back by taking Arizona.

Not this time, George. A lot of things might be strange, including yours truly -- opinions vary -- but he's not hitting me up for another 20 on this game. I think his homies are going to roll into the Super Bowl as well.

Parting thought: How in the world did the Detroit Pistons manage to knock off the Golden State Warriors a few days ago? It doesn't get any stranger than that......


A must see game

The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors continue to cruise along. Just when you think they might be showing vulnerability -- see their loss at the hands of the not-so good Detroit Pistons -- they'll come roaring back. See how they put a 31 point woodshed whuppin on Lebron and the Cavaliers (in Cleveland) a couple days later. Then went into Chicago and demolished the Bulls. Needless to say, a 40-4 record speaks for itself.

The Warriors have rightfully got a lot of attention so far this year. When they "get it going" in any particular game, which is often, they can pretty much run any other team out of the building -- be it at home or on the road.

But while the Oakland Boys have been grabbing the spotlight, another usual suspect lurks not far behind.

Enter the San Antonio Spurs. At last look, they were only 2 games behind the high-flying Warriors. Granted, they play in different divisions, but both are obviously in the Western Conference and there will come a time when the playoffs start as to who gets home-court advantage. It would seem these two teams are destined to clash sometime in late May or early June.

How important is home-court advantage? Neither team has lost a single home game this year so far. True, it's only slightly past the half-way point of the regular season, and no NBA team -- ever -- has gone through an entire year without getting beat at home. So chances are, both the Warriors and Spurs will taste defeat on their home courts somewhere along the line before the playoffs start.

But for right now, a must-see game is coming up Monday night. San Antonio visits Golden State. The defending champs/Splash Brothers host the quiet but deadly efficiency and team play of Coach Pop's boys.

Something has to give. Also true is in the whole scheme of things, perhaps this one game doesn't matter THAT much. They will play a rematch in San Antonio not long after. Perhaps they'll "split" and get on with the rest of their regular seasons clobbering most everybody else.

After all, it's not like the NFL conference championship games on tap Sunday. Whoever loses those games is done for the year, while the winners go on to the Super Bowl. Golden State and San Antonio will still have almost half a season left to slog through. A lot of things can happen during that time -- not the least being injuries to key players. You never know.

But you indeed know the Spurs and Warriors will both bring their "A games" trying to knock off the other and send a message on Monday.

It should be quite the contest indeed.

Bring it on.