My Sports Blog

Welcome to my Sports Blog.
I love sports, especially Michigan sports. I don't claim to be an expert on facts or records, but I have opinions on most anything. I hope you enjoy my thoughts. Feel free to comment or disagree with me.
Your feedback will be happily received.

Wednesday, May 26, 2010

Basketball and more basketball

I have a few things to say about the Celtic/Magic game last night after Orlando finally won a game and the standings jumped to 3 to 1 in favor of Boston. I believe this will be Orlando's only win, and the next game should exit them from the playoffs. The Celtics will go on to the finals and duke it out with the Lakers or Suns in a much better match up. That said, here are my observations from Monday night's game.

TNT's Doris Burke interviewed Dwight Howard after the game and asked how his team finally got a win? Howard said he hot to thank God first and then he hod to thank his teammates. He actually implied that God had something to do with the win.
Now maybe Howard is closer to God than I am, but I can tell you that if God had been favoring any team it would have been the Boston Celtics last night. Dwight Howard used his elbows constantly under the basket and almost knocked out Kevin Garnett twice. Once he even grabbed Garnett by the face and pulled him down to the floor. The referee's did everything to control the game so that a fight would not break out, but even after that, Howard was still furiously swinging his elbows to get rebounds. I don't believe that God would have approved of Dwight's game, especially since it looked like he was trying to hurt someone. Dwight had 32 points and 16 rebounds, which was pretty good, but if God really wanted to help him and his team, he would have had more of Dwight's free throws go in. He was 6 for 14! I think the devil had more to do with that.
Bob
Next game I will lace into the Magic's Vince Carter who played 31 minutes and had 3 points!

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

Lions will go 8 and 8

Peter King of Sports Illustrated picked his 2010 NFL ratings (1-32) this week. The Detroit Lions came in at number 24. Not bad since I cannot remember when they were ever out of the thirties. Most of the past years they have been in the number 32 slot.
I don't disagree with the Lions number of 24, which could be pretty close to true, but some of his other picks are way out in left field.
He picks Green Bay at number one. The Packers will probably win the NFC North with very little competition, but to be number one overall is a reach. They have no pass rush and their quarterback (although good), is definitely not one of the top 10 in the NFL.
He picks the New York Jets at number seven. This is too low. The Jets have proved with their defense that they can beat anyone. All opponents will struggle against them offensively. Sanchez will be in his second full year at quarterback and I look for New York to be a dominant and fearless team. Last year made me a believer.
The Philadelphia Eagles seem right at number 15 with rookie Kevin Kolb at quarterback. Giants are 9, Dallas is 10 and Washington is number 20. This division is up for grabs and is impossible to pick a winner. It should be fun.
My biggest surprise of King's picks is Seattle at number 11. Pete Carroll is the new coach and he will never turn this team around in his first year. I don't think the team has made enough changes to improve into the playoffs. We will see.
Now back to the Lions. I am still predicting (since draft day) that Detroit will win 8 games this year. They have done more than any team in the off-season to improve over the previous year, and the improvements will prove to be outstanding.
Detroit will beat Chicago twice, and at home they will beat Minnesota, Green Bay, St.Louis, Washington, and New England (Thanksgiving Day). Away, they will take care of Tampa Bay. Four of these wins will be against teams that are lower than Detroit in Peter King's ratings. You heard it here first. Eight and eight. Believe!
Bob

Saturday, May 15, 2010

My Letter to King James

Dear Mr. James, (May I call you LeBron?)

I am writing you to offer my reasons (all personal to me) for you to stay in Cleveland and remain a Cavalier for the rest of your career. I am hoping that you stay until you are past your prime, have set many more records, and have accomplished all that you strive for in the NBA.
You probably understand the reasoning of the press, the owner, and the Cav fans for you not leaving and heading to another team, like Chicago, New York, or Miami. I, on the other hand can see your point on abandoning a team that seems it will never reach its potential: even with you on the roster. I understand all of the opinions of the parties involved, and I want you to listen to me for just a minute.
First, if you leave, the Cavaliers will go back to a team of the struggling past, with no chance of making the playoffs, a decline in attendance, and little media coverage with little revenue. Do you want to leave like that?
Secondly, you have spent 7 years in Cleveland. It took time for you and the team to jell, and the chemistry has improved tremendously. Why start over? You know what the team needs and you are not far from making it a champion. Why give up now when you are so close? A few more good players, and who knows?
The third point is that it is now fun for teams to play against Cleveland. The Cavaliers have you, and there is always exciting competition with a powerhouse team or even a team that is last in the standings. The NBA has good teams and bad teams. Don't make Cleveland a bad team again!
And lastly, I am not a Cleveland fan. I root for the Detroit Pistons every chance I get. I will not be cheering for you very much wherever you may go. However, I love to watch you play and I think you have done much for the game of basketball. You have been a real good fit in Cleveland, and probably will win a championship soon. How much better would it be to win the whole thing with the Cavaliers rather than Miami or New York? Seriously?
Sincerely,
Bob Camp

Monday, May 10, 2010

Monday Morning

Saturday the Detroit Red Wings lost to the San Jose Sharks and were eliminated from the Stanley Cup playoffs. Some are saying the series was closer than it looked, because all of the Wings losses were by only one goal. I say, "So what!" Even if both teams were evenly matched, the only result that counts is who wins four games first? The Sharks played well enough to win, and there was no doubt which team played better in the final game. Had the Wings shot at the net a hundred more times, I doubt they would have come any closer to scoring. San Jose was set on defending the net, and they guarded it like a fortress. The result: Sharks 3 - Wings 1.
The big turnaround for the Wings was in the third game, when they were up by two goals in the third period and let it slip away, eventually losing in overtime. Penalties were quite lopsided, but that is all part of the game. The referees control many of the outcomes of the games anyway. One odd occurrence happened in the series, when there were two penalty shots awarded (neither scored), which could have been a record for a six game series?

The Oakland Raiders released quarterback JaMarcus Russell after three unproductive years. Is he the biggest bust of all? He might be, but I doubt it. After reading, "Football's most Wanted", which listed the biggest Heisman Trophy busts of all time. The Detroit Lions had two in the top 10. Chuck Long and Andre Ware. Chuck Long on his only start in a season (1987), threw 11 touchdowns and had 20 interceptions. Wow! The Lions are bad now, but they were much worse then.

Last Note: I have never complained about second hand smoke, having both smoked and downed a few beers over the years. I just recently went to my old bowling-bar hangout and was amazed at the clear, clean atmosphere in the place. It was very refreshing, and noticeable. It was quite different from the stale, smoky, and unhealthy area it had once been. I was surprised. I like the new Michigan smoking law!
Bob

Tuesday, May 4, 2010

More Questions than Answers

I really enjoyed the Tigers 5 to 1 win over the Angels on Sunday. Verlander had an excellent game as he pitched a shutout and gave up only one hit for eight innings. He was relieved after yielding two hits in the ninth, for the "closer", Valverde. That's when it got a little scary. it was hard to get the Angels to make the final out, and manager Leyland didn't help very much. I understood letting the Angel base runner steal second base without a throw down, and concentrating more on the batter, but he gave up second base three times in one inning. The Tigers actually gave L.A. their only run, and it could have been worse if the Angels would have singled with runners on second and third near the end of the game. Those runners should never had been in scoring positions. I doubt that Leyland will play this the same way again. It could have turned out nasty, if not down right stupid.

What is it with the referees in the hockey playoffs? The Detroit Red Wings have lost two games to the San Jose Sharks and the difference has been because of penalties. In game two, the Wings had 10 and the Sharks had 4. Not only that, but while the Wings were ahead 3 to 2 late in the final period, they had to go 3 on 5 (two man dis-advantage) for almost three minutes and ended up losing the game. It might just be me, but I have seen much more 3 on 5's this year. Are the referee's helping to determine the outcomes of the games?

Matt Millen had to apologize on national TV last week. He jokingly called ESPN's Ron Jaworski and his fans in Philadelphia, an out of date, tasteless polish word. Things like this just keep popping up, showing what a bad choice Millen was to run the Detroit Lion organization. It would be so nice to not see him awhile, at least until some memories fade.
Bob