The Mez Way

Why can't the NFL be more like Hooters?

2012-02-15T12:53:00.000-08:00

After learning NFL commissioner Roger Goodell salary of $20million per year, the first thing I thought is how do I apply for thisjob? I searched online, but Icouldn’t find any other jobs that pay in the millions to read off draft picksand hand out fines, which are essentially parking tickets to these players;annoying fines that really don’t influence you to change your ways, but reallybother you that someone on a power trip is taking your money.

What else does this guy do? My guess is that his job description reads “Create anddeploy new methods of sucking customers (NFL Fans) dry,” this one is still myfavorite…
http://mynorthwest.com/category/news_chick_blog/20110107/Qwest-Field-large-vs-small-beer/

The NFL is a business, I get it, but do they have to keepreminding us? Its like going toHooters and the girls reminding us that they are only flirting with us becauseit’s the business. The point is weknow it’s a business, but why not let us believe maybe football is just anawesome game, like the Hooters girls do.

The NFL is so much more than a business and we invest somuch time and emotion into the league that we need more out of that relationship.

The commissioners job is to make the owners happy, not thefans or players, and that’s why they pay him so much for selling his soul tothem. But since this is our leaguetoo, we should have more say in who is going to be running our league, like inpolitics. If we voted someone inevery four years for our commissioner instead of waiting till the guy getsAlzheimer’s disease, then maybe he would aim to please us fans too.

Bottom line, I have never been impressed so little bysomeone making that kind of money. He didn’t create the NFL, he wasn’t there when it started, and he reallyisn’t that impressive alltogether, trust me I checked his wikipedia page.

Remembering the Superbowl

2012-02-12T17:25:00.000-08:00

Insteadof writing about the Super Bowl a week ago while everything was still fresh inmy mind, I thought it would be interesting to write about it now to see whichmemories from the day were lasting memories. My top ten lasting memories, in noparticular order…

1. The safety that changed the legacy. Howcould Brady not find a receiver open enough to at least throw at his feet?

2. Bradshaws game winning touchdown. Why did Bill Bellicheck get all this credit for letting him score, when heshould have done that the play before? Anyone who has ever played a gameof madden knows you let him score in that situation every time, and Bellicheckis genius?

3. More reasons to hate the NFL. I’msure there were many, but the one I remember is the 12-men on the field penaltycalled on the Giants in the last minute of the game, only a 5-yard penalty tohave an extra guy on the field when 5 yards is meaningless and the clock stillticks. Seriously they don’t put time back on the clock after a penalty inthat situation?

4. Was Madonna lip-syncing? I stilldon’t know, and I like it that way.

5. Welker’s drop. Are people stilltrying to blame it on Brady? he "cannot f---ing throw the ball andcatch it at the same time” –G. Brady

6. Remembering last years Super Bowl whenA-Rod was making Cameron Diaz feed him popcorn.

7. Forgetting you can’t pause the SuperBowl because you cant catch up during commercials, meaning friends/excited momswho text you can see the future. Or…

8. Fast-forwarding a moment too far andruining Mario Manninghams big-catch. Seeing that play before it startedmade me lose touch on how BIG that play really was, because for some reasonkeep comparing this 1st and ten pitch and catch to David Tyee’s catch, whereEli Manning broke three tackles and threw it off a guys helmet on 3^rd and five.

9. At this point I started trying too hardto remember memories from the game, so I decided that doesn’t count as alasting memory.

10. But then I decided sports gamblingdoes count on this list.

Sleeping Problems at the Australian Open

2012-01-30T00:09:00.000-08:00

One thing is certain, its a damn good time to be a tennis fan. Arguably the two best ever, Novak and Nadal, just finished one of the most amazing championship matches in tennis history and I wasn't going to miss it for anything. Only problem, when I started watching last night at midnight I didn't realize to finish the match I was going to be up till 7am. As much as I love to watch these guys play at any time of day, 6-hours of any sport or just about anything on tv, except a wire marathon, is too much in one sitting.

I love watching a 25 hit rally as much as the next guy, but these matches are just too long and with how good these guys are getting, I think we are looking at more record breaking matches like last nights, probably as soon as these two guys play again.

The solution, best 2 out of 3 sets. Each extra set you play in a match decreases the value of every sets worth to the match. Eliminating that extra set won would increase the competition and the watchability of each set and the entire match. When you watch a 5-set 6-hour long marathon, its impossible not to miss a few games or even a few sets. With best 2 out of 3 sets, it would still last over 3 hours but it would be nearly impossible to miss a moment of action in a match like last nights, or really any match involving any 2 of the top 4 guys.

My hope is that one day someone important enough to make a difference does read this, and that one day I will be able to watch the entire Australian Open Championship start to finish on a lonely Saturday night.

The ALL NBA Championships

2009-05-13T16:25:00.000-07:00

Each year the All NBA Teams are released, and each year I have the same debate in my head, which would make the best basketball team, 1st team, 2nd team, or 3rd team. This year, like most years, I threw 3rd team out immediately.

3rd Team: Tony Parker, Chauncy Billups, Carmello Anthony, Pau Gasol, Shaq O’neal.
2nd Team: Chris Paul, Brandon Roy, Paul Pierce, Tim Duncan, Yao Ming.
1st Team: Dwane Wade, Kobe Bryant, LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki, Dwight Howard.

Chauncy and Carmello are both great players and are worthy to be on 2nd team. To land the second seed in the west is no easy task, I might put one of them to 2nd team for Paul Pierce, who I think just landed there for what he did in the finals last year.
But the rest of it? Shaq and Pau=gross, and Tony Parker? Deron Williams must have had an awful year.

1st Team vs. 2nd Team

Dwayne Wade vs. Chris Paul – D-Wade had an insane year, but he really couldn’t get past the Atlanta Hawks? Wade had the better year and is the better overall player, unfortunately he is the PG of this team, and Paul may be the best PG in the world. Advantage Paul.

Kobe Bryant vs. Brandon Roy – The numbers and the experts say Kobe is the easy pick in this match up, but I take a players opinion over the “experts” every time, “He is the best player I’ve ever played against” Ron Artest on playing against Brandon Roy. Advantage Roy.

LeBron James vs. Paul Pierce – LBJ is a freak and as much as I hate him, I don’t think I can quote anyone on saying Pierce is the better player. Advantage LBJ.

Dirk Nowitzki vs. Tim Duncan – Biggest no brainer of the day. To me Dirk is a perennial 2nd or 3rd teamer, and Duncan is still the best PF in the league until he retires. Advantage Duncan.

Dwight Howard vs. Yao Ming - If Yao didn’t always break his body, I would say Yao without thinking twice. You can run an offense threw him, and he may not but be as good on defense as Dwight, but he is a lot closer to Dwight on defense then Dwight is to Yao on offense.
Side note: Quit blaming your coach superman, if you were the type of player to run an offense through, your team would do it. That left hand in the post is disgusting, and unless you’re open for the jam, I would rather shoot the 3-ball too. Advantage – None.

Winner All NBA Second Team.

But then there is a new challenger. A team that can be more deadly than them all, its the “All Left Out Mez Team”.

Deron Williams – Best PG in the NBA
Ray Allen – Best shooter in the NBA
Ron Artest – Best defender in the NBA
Carlos Boozer – Best power forward after Duncan’s reign is done.
Birdman – Best shot blocker in the NBA (In blocks per minute)

Give me these five guys any day of the week, but not without…

6th Man – Wally Sczerbiak

Advantage Mez Team

Heeeeeees Baaaaacck

2009-05-07T13:46:00.000-07:00

He is back.
Ron Artest is back.
He use to be one of the best in the business and now he’s back.
Ron Artest should be recognized as one of the best players in the NBA.
He has had problems with his fans and has even gotten into fights with them.
Ron Artest has learned from his past mistakes and is making up for lost time.
He has risen to every challenge presented to him.
Ron Artest has shut down the best of the best in the NBA, and has made his Rockets the scariest team to play in the NBA playoffs.
He is a remarkable player and person.
Ron Artest may be crazy, but he may just be crazy enough to be smart, at least on the court.
He has never been in a basketball game where his friend was stabbed to death with a table leg.
Ron Artest has been.
He, along with Tracy McGrady has never won a NBA playoff series
Ron Artest has won several, and makes every team he is on a contender.
He has one J-ball championships
Ron Artest will soon with an NBA championship.
Yes Ron Artest is back, but
That he is me, MezSez is back.

In cased you have not followed any of the Lakers Rockets series, watch a few of these clips, and you will not miss another game.

Derek Fisher- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vDX2ktK9OR4&feature=related

Ron Artest Part 1- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JlunFeZ35Lc

Ron Artest Part 2- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z3_xmYLBnnA

Best moment of the year, so far...

2009-04-07T12:01:00.000-07:00

During the boring UNC route over MSU, we were constantly flipping back and fourth between that and the M’s season opener at Minnesota vs. Liriano. Lucky for us, UNC opened a 20-point lead and never looked back capping off the worst tournaments in recent memory, and we landed on the M’s game for good.
In the top of the 5th inning, Griffey crushed a 2-2 Liriano changeup deep to right. By far the most joy I have had watching any sporting event, WWE No Way Out at the Key excluded, since the first quarter of the Seahawks Packers 2007 Division Playoff game.
Sad? Perhaps.
Griffey set the tone early on this season and gave all Mariner fans a reason to watch tonight and maybe even tomorrow (waiting Bedard about that tomorrow game). If we can get enough of the Griffey Magic all year, it might just inspire the city and our team and then who knows...
In my last blog I said in the end, “Next up: How the M’s will win the AL West”, and I had no idea what the hell to write about. Luckily after watching yesterday’s game, I know, it’s 50 bombs from Griff and 30 wins from Felix.

April Fools Day

2009-04-02T11:43:00.000-07:00

There was an interesting chain of events yesterday during the big-3 sports banter shows, and in case you missed it, I decided to share them with you all.

Firstly, I take everything Jim Rome says so deeply, I fell for his April Fools, and probably will again next year. His April Fools was breaking news that Barry Bonds was just signed by the Dodgers and he would now bat behind Manny possibly the deadliest one-two punch ever. A story that made so much sense to me, L.A. is a match made in heaven for these two idiots. Then after I realized it was a prank, it reminded me how bad of a person and teammate Bonds must be for this to simply be an April Fools joke. Manny, a man with baggage unmatched by anyone (except A-rod and Bonds), is getting paid over 20-mil a year, and Barry Bonds is unemployed. Maybe it’s the recession, but Bonds must be the only player ever who had OPS over 1.000 in the last year of his career, especially a career that the player was still willing to play.
After his April Fools prank, Rome down played it, reminding us all that this is a day for 12-year olds and it’s a stupid tradition that is almost always predictable and not funny.

Next as I watched Around the Horn, expecting a prank, I got a great taste of something else. Woddy Paige and host Tony Realli switched positions for the day. No prank here, but seeing Tony as the contestant on the show, I am now convinced he will one day have a bigger roll on ESPN, and hopefully he takes Wilbon’s spot on PTI and in the NBA broadcasts.

Lastly I tuned into PTI, fully expecting a prank of some sort, and they delivered. They had breaking news that Rick Pitino is now taking back his old Kentucky job and John Callipari is going back to Memphis. First of all, does anyone else always confuse Rick Pitino with John Callipari and visa versa? Second of all, these guys should have listened to Rome. It was a story I wouldn’t even care about if it were true, and even so they couldn’t have made it any more obvious and not funny. This was proof that unless you are a 12-year old or Jim Rome, don’t bother pranking people because if you do, you are the fool.

P.S. Most of all this day reminded me that I could really careless about anything that is going on in sports right now and I don’t understand how the NFL has still been in the news everyday since the super bowl.

P.P.S. Congratulations to Puzzles, back2back SJCC A-League Champs.

Next up, how the Mariners will win the AL West in 2009.

It's The Most Wonderful Time Of The Year

2009-03-18T14:25:00.001-07:00

It is the most wonderful time of the year.
With fans screaming and yelling
And bartenders telling you just finish your beer.
When Duke players cry
And they hope they just die
We laugh and make fun of their tears.
It’s the most wonderful time of the year

40th Street will be hosting
And plenty of boasting
Of picks right and wrong.
Dead brackets will be trashed
But hopefully no walls are mashed
They don’t own this house for long.

With great buzzer beating
And lots of good eating
It’s the sports heaven for all.
There will be some reminiscing
Of great moments missing
Some will get bored and go to the mall.

G Carr nailing great baskets
Ruining everyone’s bracket
Sorry Nova but you had a nice year.
It’s the most wonderful time, of the year.

There’s no Washington State
And the entire Washington state
Could not be more full of joy.
Where U.W. bandwagons feel awfully empty
Now Bulldogs is plenty
Washington sure misses the days of Roy.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.
Good Luck To All. Go Bulldogs.

The Curious Case of Pac Man Jones

2009-03-10T12:46:00.000-07:00

According to Jim Rome, my idol, Pac-Man went on the show “Pros vs. Joes”, suited up against some Joe, and Joe knocked Pac on his ass. Pac then got up swinging at the Joe, and the two were eventually broken up.

For a show that had been a let down for a few years now, they have finally delivered. Guys like Pac Man, young, athletic, and unstable idiots make great television. Usually the athletes who come onto this show are all out of their prime and/or retired and win or lose, they don’t really care. Pac-Man is in the prime of his athletic life, may as well be retired, and if you show him up, your head is coming off.

His NFL career was probably over before this last stunt, but this just adds another strike and reminds us that even without all the baggage, he still sucks at football.

Anyways this whole thing got me thinking, where is this guys life going? Where will he be in a year? There are so many fantastic possibilities I decided its something we should all enjoy. Place your bets today!

Where will Adam “Pac-Man” Jones be one year from now?

Doing volunteer work, voluntarily: 1,000,000-1
Getting his college degree: 1,000-1
Making his comeback to wrestling: 750-1
Touring to teach kids not be like him: 500-1
Touring to teach kids how to be like him: 250-1
The NFL: 100-1
The CFL: 50-1
On the show, “I love New York Season 3”: 10-1
Trying to rap: 5-1
Jail: 1-10

2009: Year of the Seattlelite

2009-03-04T14:30:00.000-08:00

After signing Griffey and now Housh to the Hawks, it seems things finally have gone right in Seattle. Housh brings a new dynamic the hawks never had, and is our first real spark since signing Julian Peterson. For the last three or four years, being the bias hawk I am, I praised the hawks receiving corps as one of the better ones in the NFL, despite starting Nate Burleson and Courtney Taylor in the 2008 season opener. Now, combine Housh with my hawk bias, you can imagine how excited I am, this might just be the best receiving corps of all time.
Still, we have a few things to address, especially on defense. Brian Russell doesn’t make plays (1 INT in 2 years with us), Jennings cant tackle or cover (1 INT in 3 years with us), and we are filling our d tackle hole with our top draft pick, so something needs to be done about our secondary, and I am confident the Seahawks front office will address it.

Not so confident about the Mariners or their front office. Initially, I thought Griff would bring a magic spark to a once celebrated mediocre team, and sadly, that really is our only chance.
Looking at our lineup, we have upgraded each position, as far as personnel and players entering their prime age, except Ichiro, and I like it.
Then I scrolled down the page to our pitchers…
Felix-love him until the 7th inning, Morrow-maybe but I’m still bitter for passing on hometown Lincecum, Bedard-last chance, Washburn maybe as a fifth starter, and Silva-must have been Bavasi’s last F U to Seattle (4 years $48M) before he was canned, hate them both.
There is a bit of promise in the rotation, but with a young and shaky rotation, handing the ball over to these guys in the 7th 8th and 9th is a scary thing; Tyler Walker, Miguel Batista, Josh Fields, Cesar Jimenez, and then to shut the door, Mark Lowe.
Clearly we have holes the Mariners front office needs to address, but with the season opener about a month away, it seems our off-season is complete after signing a 39-year old DH who hit .249 last season, sorry Griff, but I still love you.

Come on...

2009-02-27T11:45:00.000-08:00

As I made my return to the blogosphere last night, searching through ESPN headlines, two similar yet complete opposite stories caught my eye.

Just say no: Manny nixes Dodgers' latest bid (2-Year 42 Mil)
Giants, Cy Young Lincecum agree to $650K deal

Lincecum, 24, just won the CY Young and is the best young pitcher in the world. Manny, 36, is winding down a hall of fame career, and even if he went on the juice to prolong his career, there is no telling what he will do or want a year from now.
Lincecum may be the best bargain in baseball at the moment, and Manny just might be the worst (actually the worst is Lincecums teammate, Barry Zito, who signed something like 120M last year, and may just be the worst starting pitcher in baseball, but that’s another story).
There are other factors to consider however, Lincecum is not eligible for arbitration for a few years, which is great leverage when players are in contract negotiations, but even so, come on...

Manny just finished up an 8-year deal worth 160 million, and now 45 million isn’t enough? Albert Poo-Holes, a comparable hitter, ten times the fielder, and a hundred times the pro, is in the middle of a 7-year 100M contract, sounds like a bargain.

At this point, if you are a Dodger fan, do you even want Manny? He has made it clear that all he cares about is money, and winning to him is only another way gain leverage and get more money. Don’t get me wrong, on top of being one of the best hitters ever, he is also probably the most entertaining; he disgraces the game, poses at the plate after a bomb, and his anti-gold glove is nothing short of genius. A highlight reel of Manny in the outfield could replace scenes in “Major League” when the Indians are still shitty, and I think it would even be more comical, but even so, come on…

For me Manny is not worth it. He is awesome to watch, but one thing we have learned in baseball is stars don’t carry teams, well except last year when Manny carried the Dodgers.
Dodger fans got a great taste of what Manny can do short term, and they should be thankful they don’t have to see what happens long term.
Baseball is a business, more so than any other sport, and guys like Manny and A-Rod remind us of this every off season. As much as I like watching and following Manny, I hope the Dodgers offers only get worse, and with no other bidders they should. Bids will keep declining, and on opening day Manny will finally sign (after he already tampered millions of fantasy drafts). Him and Scott Boras will both feel like idiots for rejecting a 42 million contract, and is Manny will be forced to live in poverty making something like Lincecum’s 650k.

How to fix the all star game

2009-02-16T19:40:00.000-08:00

Whoever is in charge of running the NBA all star weekend clearly needs help, so here it is, free of charge, but if you are the person who is in charge and actually take my changes, at least click on a few ad's.

Don't play H-O-R-S-E in the Pre-game so everyone misses it.

Nix the Shooting stars game. With all the options for games with a basketball and a hoop, it's amazing there is a group of people that sat down and decided on this one. Why not play 21 (1 on 1 on 1), or if you don't want contact, the tip game (you can only score off a tip or a bounce following your opponents shot), or my favorite, all 24 all stars, in a legendary game of bump.

3-Point Shootout- You can bring in thousands no-name players around the world that could compete and win the 3-point shootout, and that's exactly what happened. Did anyone know what team Dequan Cook played for before you saw him this weekend? I didn't.

I want only all stars, power forwards and centers are okay too, I don't care how good a shooter they are, I just want to know who the player is and have a feeling of love or hatred for him.

And if you don't like that idea, I want eight players, with head to head match-ups, with both players shooting at a time.

Dunk Contest- Same idea as 3-point, only stars, and adjustable heights on the rims is now a must. Enough handing out 50's just because a guy is wearing a superman cape (phone booth thing was great however). I want at least six dunkers, and no more 50-scale system. Each round your dunk is ranked 1-6, if you were the best that round you get six points, if you were ranked sixth, you get one point. And how about 30 seconds per dunk or one miss. In a minute thirty you can miss 21 dunks and then, by rule, get two more attempts after time expired, and still get a 50.

And yes I hope LeBron actually competes in the dunk contest next year (which he wont) and he blows his knees out trying to dunk from the 3-point line, but did he really have to announce it during someone's dunk. Only LeBron, could do that, and would do that.

All Star games and Rookie games have two chances at success. One, a competitive game, where the ten best players in the world are trying really hard for the last five minutes. Two, blowouts are only okay, only if there is staggering amount of alley-oops, big men ball handling, anything worth talking about tomorrow. The only thing I will remember is the Shaq dance, but that was pre-game.

The only way I think this game can be fixed, and consistently be competitive and exciting, is U.S. vs. Earth. It will turn into a game of pride, and the players might actually try. This is how i see it going down;

Year One: America will dog it, Earth will lay it on them and take the first year easy.

Year Two: US brings in Coach K to coach the all star US vs. Earth game, and the U.S. never looks back.

All Star Weekend

2009-02-13T15:31:00.000-08:00

Here is my preview and predictions:

Rookies vs. Sophomores
Usually the age difference is the deciding factor for this game, but I do not like anything about the soph roster for this game, except Rodney Stuckey.
Rookies will snap their 6-game losing streak with Rudy Fernanez as the game MVP.

Shooting Stars
This one is easy for me. Dan Majerle is the best shooter of all the legends and current players. I take the Suns.

Skills Comp
The toughest thing to predict here how hard the players will try. For some, looking good is more important in this event than winning. This is how I rank the players in this event.
Player: Skill, Effort
Tony Parker: 3, 1, AVG 2
Derrick Rose: 1, 4, AVG 2.5
Mo Wil:l 2, 3, AVG 2.5
Devin Harris: 4, 2, AVG 3

By simple math I am forced to take T.P.

G-E-I-K-O (H-O-R-S-E)
Joe Johnson. The biggest no brainier for me, Rudy Gay has almost 0 chance, and Kevin Durant has range but I still don’t like him here, or in any setting.

3-Point Shootout
Only guy I am scared of is 2-time defending champ Jason Kapono, but I don’t think he has seen any competitive action since last years contest. So I am taking Rashard Lewis, I have him in two fantasy leagues and he has not let me down yet.

Dunk Contest
I love Rudy and I’m going for him but I don’t think he has a chance. Nate Rob misses more than he makes, and Dwight has to run out of gimmicks sooner or later. My pick here is J.R. Smith.

All Star Game
Kobe and Shaq together has almost never done me wrong, and the west just made a huge addition by subtraction (or trade) in losing Allen Iverson to the East. How is this guy still starting all-star games?
West wins, and I see Amare taking MVP for 3 reasons; 1. He is in trade talks, 2. The game is in Phoenix, 3. Dunkers thrive, and all he does is dunk.

Kobe vs LeBron

2009-02-06T16:33:00.000-08:00

The two square off again this Sunday, could it have set up any better?

They continue to push each other as the two top players in the world. They may only play each other twice a year, but the two MVP front-runners compete against each other every night.

On Monday Kobe went for 61 in NY, two days later in NY LeBron tries to match, comes up short with 52, but puts up a *triple double (you understand the asterisk if you saw LeBron steal Ben Wallace’s rebound for his ninth rebound (link), then with two seconds left in a dead game, put his body on the line for his tenth rebound (link).
Anyways, the reason I say LeBron tried to match Kobe’s performance, is because that is exactly what he was trying to do. He threw up 33 shots (made 17) (Kobe was 19 for 31), which is 13 more than his average field goal attempts per game, and had 19 free throws attempts (made 16) (Kobe was 20/20), up from his average of 9 attempts on the year. And yea, LeBron had a *triple double, but seriously I think he should get one every game. The only time he isn’t controlling the ball on an offensive possession, is when he’s flying to the rim for an alley-oop, and if he put the same effort in all the time as he did when he was stealing Ben’s rebound, and diving out of bounds with seconds left, 10 rebounds a game should be cake.
In LeBron’s defense, I don’t blame him for trying to be like Kobe at least one game. During an 82-game regular season, with playoffs spots all but clinched, this is the only kind of thing that can keep a player motivated and keep fans excited. Team achievements are for the playoffs and individual achievements are for the regular season, and are the only good reason I can think of to play, the unnecessary, 82 game schedule.

Funny thing about this blog, this only suddenly turned into LeBron bash hour. I originally intended it to be a comparison between the two. Here is a shorter version of what I had planned.

Shooting- Advantage Kobe. He is probably a top 5 shooter in the league, he takes fade away 3’s and still makes about half. While LeBron kind of reminds me of “Big Smooth” Sam Perkins, how he doesn’t jump on his set shot.
Passing- Advantage LeBron. I would say they have similar decision making, but LeBron throws it about 90 MPH with the flick of his wrist.
Ball handling- Advantage Kobe. LeBron still has trouble remembering he has to dribble when attacking to the rim, good thing the refs don’t mind.
Defense- Advantage Kobe. They are so close now it’s hard to call this one, but just considering a heads up match up and considering team defense, Kobe can stop LeBron, but only Kobe can stop Kobe. But I must say, when LeBron is trailing a guy on a fast break and swats it off the glass, might be the coolest thing to watch and expect in the NBA right now.
Rebounds- Advantage LeBron. He is a beast, but I think this is an overrated stat unless you’re a big guy and rebounding is your job.
Clutch- Advantage Kobe. Last night in Boston was a pretty good example, plus I don’t think its part of LeBron’s game to hit the vintage Jordan shot. But I will say he can get a dunk at the end of the game; I just don’t put it in the same category as clutch, with guys like Kobe, Jordan, Reggie, etc.
Athletics- Advantage LeBron. Probably the best athlete in the world. If he trained, he could probably win more gold medals then Michael Phelps (off topic, but still wondering why we have they do backstroke, but no backwards sprint in track, or run backwards, then forwards, then skip to the finish line medley).

Conclusion: I still take Kobe every time, at least for a few more years, but I can’t imagine it would be any fun to play with either of them. They hog the ball, the attention, and both need to try a little bit harder if they want to be like Jordan, on or off the court.

P.S. Half way through writing this, finding the videos and such, I did see that today, the NBA took away LeBron’s ninth rebound, the one he stole from Ben Wallace. But this is kind of bitter sweet for me, now they wont forever praise his 50 point *triple double at MSG that only LeBron can do, and it may even be forgotten that he was only trying to emulate Kobe, so this is how I will always remember it, and hope you all do to.

“LeBron comes up short on Kobe’s feat, but in an attempt to give everyone a reason for why he couldn’t match Kobe, he steals his teammates rebound for a *triple double and says he’s all about the team”.

P.P.S.
“The two square off again this Sunday, could it have set up any better?”
The answer is yes, I just did it.

Links:
Ninth rebound - http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/blog/ball_dont_lie/post/NBA-reads-blogs-takes-away-LeBron-s-MSG-triple-;_ylt=Av1Vc62e0XdCUHNiOpJmcu3JPKB4?urn=nba,139676

Tenth rebound- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7lWpGZXk88).

Thunderstruck

2009-02-04T14:40:00.001-08:00

When it came time to write my next blog, I was torn between writing about Kobe’s 61 at MSG, or Manny turning down $25 million.

After debating this for a few good minutes, I realized both topics just weren’t right for me at this point in my life. No Manny blog, because, as an employee of Bel-Red Furniture, I am just too bitter toward anyone turning down any amount of money to play baseball. The other option, Kobe’s 61, and how he, now with Bynum out, is going to make a run at Lebron for MVP. This should be a no brainer for me, I thought I loved Kobe and the NBA, but I guess that love is gone.
With football over, I find myself forgetting about the NBA and looking forward to BASEBALL? Part of the excitement might be for fantasy baseball but, regardless, it couldn’t get here soon enough.

I am finally realizing the effect having a hometown sports team has on all of us (or lack thereof).
With the Sonics turned Thunder, I went from a diehard NBA fan (just check my facebook pic), into a normal person. I will still watch the occasional Kobe or Lebron game, but only if it fits in my schedule. Last year I was making plans to make sure I didn’t miss the next Nick Collison and Luke Ridnour game. This year I would rather watch a King Of Queens re-run than a NBA game.
Last year I argued Wally Szczerbiak and his greatness as a forgotten player of the league. Last year I argued Rob Swift could be an impact player in the league.
Last year I argued Kevin Durant was a terribly overrated rookie with no future.
I didn’t argue these points because they were worth an argument; but because I actually cared about the team, the players, and the league. This year, the only argument I have had regarding the NBA, is with BDO between watching a Sixers/Heat game or a K Of Q re-run, and when I say re-run, it’s usually the fourth time around for me.

I thought missing a team as bad as the Sonics wouldn’t matter; I was wrong. One day the NBA will return to Seattle, but until then, it’s hard to get excited for anything less than the dunk contest or an elimination game in the playoffs. NBA basketball is gone and our other teams are down, but we can only go up from here. Barring a 0-162 Mariners team and 0-16 Hawks, matching last year’s disappointment for Seattle sports fans is nearly impossible. I am very optimistic about both teams next year, and can’t wait to argue again, and care.
This is the start of a new year for sports in Seattle, and we needed it.

What We Learned Sunday

2009-02-02T14:33:00.000-08:00

We learned...

The Steelers, with a few breaks, can win any type of game in all kinds of ways.
The Cardinals can play with any team in football, except the patriots.

Mike Tomlin is a BAMF and is not going anywhere.
Neither is Ken Wisenhunt.

Cuba Gooding Jr. is now the biggest star on the planet.
But ruined the inaugural, what celeb will they show first, bet.

Ben Rothelisburger, this time around, can make a difference in the Super Bowl. He is the most nerve racking QB to watch (for both sides) for his crazy, but amazing pocket presence. And he was the MVP.
Kurt Warner is one of the all time great stand still passers, when he has great receivers. And he is a creepy interview.

Matt Leniart didn't teach us anything on Sunday, but doesn't he make you wonder what’s going on in that brain of his.
And who else they could have taken instead of him in 2006.

Troy Polamalu made the argument for us that Ed Reid is the best safety in the NFL.
Has anyone seen a replay of his unnecessary teammate-hurdling, touchdown-surrendering play yet?

James Harrison doesn’t like MVP trophies, or he wouldn’t have made an idiot of himself with those cheap shots near the end of the game.

Santonio Holmes is a typical prima donna receiver in the making. He had a TD celebration planned for the game-winning touchdown of the Super Bowl (he did the Lebron chalk toss), won the MVP and didn’t thank anybody, except himself. We are only a year or two away from him making the other types of headlines.

Larry Fitzgerald is THE receiver every coach, player, owner, and fan wants to have. He is a top 5 talent in the league at the wide receiver position, but he is the only one of those top 5, or top 20 for that matter, that resemble a true teammate, or even a human being.
And I just felt I needed to justify this one,
-He offers part of his contract to keep Boldin in AZ next season.
-He scores, almost game winning, touchdowns and lets his excitement take over, not premeditated dancing or bits.
-No one on earth was more shocked, disappointed, or saddened as Fitz was after Holmes’ TD (“no, no, no, no, no, no”).
-Everything he does is genuine and that is a word 99% of the league does not affiliate with. For most players it’s about saying the right thing because you have to or you will get fined or you wont get the endorsements.

The refs still love the Steelers.
But they too can make halftime adjustments, to save an otherwise tainted game.

And finally…

MeZ SeZ is not always right.
But he is most of the time.

What I really want on Sunday

2009-01-29T14:23:00.000-08:00

A Slop Bowl of miscues, fumbles, interceptions, drops, missed tackles and blocked kicks. There is about a 0% chance of matching last years Super Bowl in terms of quality. It had the star power, the cities, a perfect season on the line, and the best finish in Super Bowl history. As much as I hate the Pats, and everything and everyone in Boston, they make Super Bowls, Super. In each of the 4 Super Bowls they have been in the past 7 years, just 3 points decided the game each time. In other Super Bowls the game is usually decided by at least 10 points, and a blowout is common. We will probably end up getting a boring 24-14 Pitt Victory, and unless you are drinking a Keg full of Sam Adams, you will probably be disappointed on Sunday. The one chance we have to be entertained on Sunday, a game of slop. Here is my vision of an ideal Sunday:

Pitt wins the toss, they will receive.
Cards, upset they didn’t get to start out gunning, onside kick. Recover.
Try and make immediate statement, Polamalu pick over Fitz in endzone.
Slop Slop Slop. Springsteen half time show. Score 0-0.
Early turnover to set up easy Pitt TD. Willy Parker fumbles on the 1.
Slop Slop Slop. Overtime. Score 0-0.
Pitt Kicks off, Cards take it to the 5.
2 Run plays down to the 1. 3rd and 1 on the Pitt 1.
Field Goal attempt, blocked, taken to the house by Troy Polamalu. Game over 6-0, Pitt.

The game is remembered as the “Slop Bowl” of two undeserving teams. Pitt steals their second title in 4 years and miss the playoffs in 2009, and the Cards return to the cellar of the NFC West, where they belong.

My name is Justin Mezistrano and I am a bitter BLOGGER from Seattle.

LT Time Up?

2009-01-26T15:07:00.000-08:00

Ladanian Tomlinson, MAN, the best running back in the NFL in the last 10 years, could be done in San Diego. He will be 30 next season, which to my calculations is 81 in Running Back years (1 season Running into 350 Pound Man Beasts = 9 years), and clearly on the decline of his career. There is no debate he was a great player; the debate is, is he still a good player, should the Chargers keep him? Translation: Is he worthy of a top 15-fantasy draft pick next season?
Two reasons I love this topic. First, from the arguments I have had so far, it is a split issue. Secondly, this is one of the rare topics that is not hypothetical, and an “I told you so” after next season is definitely in order.

First of all I think Keeping LT in San Diego is a no brainer, not only because I think he has years left, but for what he has done for San Diego. He has started 127 out of 128 regular season games since he has been in the NFL, broken touchdown records, made visors cool again, and with a simple flip has shown us he is the only player in the NFL capable, and worthy, of a trademark touchdown celebration worth repeating. If he is let go, it shows the players and fans there is no loyalty in the NFL, and of course money reigns supreme. Players are given more reasons to hold out for more money before they get old or hurt, and fans need to buy new jerseys, two equally frustrating problems. But I guess if he is done, the highest paid running back in NFL history should at least be your starting back.

Which leads onto the real debate, is anything left? My answer is yes. He probably could have sat out the whole year with an injury, and then this wouldn’t even be a discussion. He would be the starting running back going into next season and would be a top 3 fantasy pick in next years draft. Instead he battled groin injuries all year and although he had 1110 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns, he had his second lowest yards per carry of his career at 3.8. At age 29, I refuse to believe age was the problem this year, and at age 30 I don’t think it will be the problem next year.

If L.T. can’t play at 30, then I will have to adjust my conversion rate for the life of a running back. He is what every back wants to be but cant. He has Reggie Bush in college highlights, the hands of a wide out, and he has the goal line power of the most hated, fantasy killing, touchdown backs.
My prediction, he stays with the team, 1300 rushing yards, 12 touchdowns. What I hope happens is the Chargers cut him. He works himself into the greatest shape of his life, the hawks sign him, he breaks some more records, brings back the NFC west title where it belongs, then 20 something touchdown flips later, we can both say, “I told you so”.

M-V-Cardinal?

2009-01-19T14:31:00.000-08:00

With the latest Cardinal victory, we have seen the unthinkable happen, a Super Bowl involving the Arizona Cardinals, but who is to blame for the apocalypse? For me, it’s down to two players, Kurt Warner and Larry Fitzgerald.
It’s always easier to blame the Quarterback, he does touch the ball every play and is the field “General”. But has anyone ever seen so many, throw it up and pray my guy comes down with it throws, as Kurt Warner has completed to Larry Fitzgerald. Give Warner credit, he does find his guys when he needs to, but Fitz is on another planet right now. To go along with his measly 5 TD catches, Fitz just passed Jerry Rice for the record of most receiving yards in a single post season, and he hasn’t even played in the Bowl yet. Insane numbers, and most impressive about all of his stats, they have been no “gimme” catches or situations where he piles on the stats, all of his catches have been meaningful to the game, and anyone who has watched, knows they are hard earned.
Now, since I am still only days removed since writing about McNabb over Warner, I think I am stuck taking Fitz as my most valuable Cardinal, but I would like to open it up to the readers. Who has been the most valuable Cardinal thus far in the post season?

Here are their post-season numbers after 3 games:
Kurt Warner- 61 for 92, 67% Completion, 770 Passing Yards for 8 TD’s, 2 INT’s
Larry Fitzgerald- 23 Catches for 419 Yards and 5 TD’s

Kurt Warner vs. Donovan McNabb

2009-01-15T14:50:00.001-08:00

In this week leading up to the Conference Championship games, one of the hot topics has been, who would you take, Donovan McNabb or Kurt Warner? As I have watched ESPN, read through articles and BLOG’s, the almost unanimous pick has been Kurt Warner, as a better Hall of Fame candidate, and for the quarterback for this Sunday’s game.
Both players do have Hall of Fame numbers, and to the casual sports fan, you see a Super Bowl and 2 MVP’s from Kurt Warner and your mind is made up.
But for the rest of you who wanted a little something more, you came to the right place.

We dive right into career stats, even though I believe stats are only relevant in analyzing baseball.
Coincidently, the two players came into the league about the same time (Kurt being 5 years older), so comparing stats is as fair as can be. Donovan has more career passing yards, passing touchdowns, rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, and fewer interceptions. On the other hand, Kurt has the second best passer rating in NFL history, beating Donovan, and has more career receiving yards (Kurt 1 Catch, 0 yards Donovan 4 catches, –8 yards). Close call, comes down to Kurt being the better receiver and Donovan being the better rusher. It will be easier to see the true winner once Kurt retires in the next year or so and Donovan piles on the numbers. For now, lets call it a PUSH.

Now lets take a look at team overall success. In the past 10 years Donovan has made the playoffs 8 times, including his rookie season. He has taken his team to the NFC title game 5 times, 50% of the time Donovan makes the final 4. In any sport where the playoff system is one-loss elimination, you think could have ever won 8 championships in a row if it was one loss elimination, or would Jordan even have 6 titles?
Kurt Warner has different pros and cons for his playoff record. This is Kurt’s only fourth time reaching the playoffs in his career. He has this year, plus he has made the Super Bowl twice, won it once, and one year on the Rams they didn’t make it out of the wild card round.
There are two ways to look at this, consistency vs. greater achievements. The way I look at is this is to simplify. Cancel out each Super Bowl loss, this year, and one time Donovan lost in the wild card round. So it’s Kurt Warner’s Super Bowl Super Bowl Championship vs. Donovan’s 3 Conference championship games plus two more playoff appearances. I would give advantage McNabb, but for arguments sake, I will push and make my case in the last comparison.

The only way to truly even out the playing field and determine who is better, is give each player the exact same team, and simulate 10 seasons of Madden to see who really is the best player and who would have the better career.
But instead I will do my best to imagine the roles reversed. Imagine Donovan McNabb playing with Tory Holt, Isaac Bruce, and Marshal Faulk for 5 years (All in their prime of their careers). Than imagine he gets cut, picked up by the giants, cut again, then falls into a situation with Larry Fitzgerald and Anquan Boldin, two of the NFL’s best Wide Receivers. To project any kind of stats, you would have to use a Madden Sim, but I can imagine his numbers may have increased.
Now lets sit back and imagine Kurt Warner playing for the Eagles for ten straight years. He gets to throw to Freddie Mitchell, James Thrash, Todd Pinkston, Reggie Brown, Hank Basket, and Kevin Curtis, but thankfully you get to mix in one year each of Terrible Owens and Dante Stallworth. He does get Brian Westbrook, who has been an elite back for the last 3 years, but he is no Marshal Faulk.
Roles Reversed: Advantage McNabb.

For the sake of arguing, if all the analysts took McNabb, this BLOG may have been PRO-Warner. But for now McNabb is my pick, and after writing this, I think I convinced myself I am more a McNabb guy than I thought I was. Win or lose Sunday, I will stand by my pick, but if the Cardinals can somehow get to the Super Bowl and win it all, I will for once, have been wrong.

The Greatest Ever

2009-01-13T14:52:00.000-08:00

With the latest installment to the Baseball Hall of Fame, we have seen perhaps the last true, great lead off man inducted, Rickey Henderson. When you think about a lead off man and his primary responsibilities, you think #1 get on base, and #2 base running and stealing bases. Rickey epitomized the lead off man. He played 25 seasons, had a .401 CAREER On Base Percentage, holds the all time steals record, and is second in walks just ahead of Babe Ruth and only behind Barry Bonds*. Comparing Rickey to today's feature leadoff men, you see what I mean by the last true leadoff man.

In today's game you have guys like Ichiro, Jose Reyes, Hanley Ramirez, all Hall of Fame caliber players, but not true lead off men.

Starting with Hanley, at age 25, may have too much power to hit lead off for his entire career, but if he does stay lead off, he could flirt with the first ever 50/50 season, and has the plate discipline, with his walks growing each year, to be the only one to challenge Rickey as the greatest lead off man ever.

Reyes has the talent, but needs to study Rickey's plate discipline; his OBP has been stuck in the .350's for 3 straight years, and his has had inexcusable base running errors too many times early in his career.

Both these players are too young to make any kind of determinations, but for the record, here are Ricky's stats at and before age 25,

Age OBP SB

20 .338 33
21 .420 100
22 .408 56
23 .398 130
24 .414 108
25 .399 66

Now to get to Ichiro, who will be 35 next year, here is a guy who has 200+ hits each of his first 8 seasons in the league, and still his career OBP is .377. Rickey never had 200 hits once in a season, played till he was 44, and still had an OBP 24 points higher when comparing career numbers. Ichiro's "Hall of Fame" career has been glamorous, and he crushes more infield singles than anyone in history, but his ego is too big for his team and the sport of baseball. To sum up the Rickey-Ichiro comparison, Ichiro is a player who wont dive for a ball, and wont get dirty, the opposite of the way Rickey played "If my uniform doesn't get dirty, I haven't done anything in the baseball game.", But this piece is dedicated to Rickey, so enough Ichiro bashing, for now.

A man like Rickey played with such passion and for so long you knew he was truly what baseball is all about. Anyone who plays baseball for 25 years must really love what he is doing, or maybe he just really cares about being remembered in the record books. Even after going into the books as Nolan Ryan's 5,000th strikeout victim he had this to say, "…it's an honor. I'll have another paragraph in all the baseball books. I'm already in the books three or four times."

Rickey will be remembered as a great lead off man, a great baseball player, and a great quote. I can't wait to see is induction speech, as he is sure to leave us with another unforgettable memory, personally I hope he finds a way to bash Bonds for stealing the all time walks record.

And congratulations Jim Rice, whoever you are.

Why I hate Tim Tebow

2009-01-11T18:49:00.000-08:00

Today Tim Tebow announced that he would be back for his Senior year for the Gator football squad. This means another year of play-by play guys jocking Tebow for 60 minutes and then analysts for another hour on Sportscenter. All Season long debating Tebow's place among College Footballs greatest ever. Count me out, not worth my time, I'd rather talk about his future as a prolific back up tight end in the NFL.
I have been a Tim Tebow hater since I first saw that ridiculous jump pass 3 years ago (actually not true, when I first thought his name was TIVO I thought he was sweet), and my feelings have grown stronger by the game (or press conference). By the end of next year I will have a thousand more reasons to hate this man, so check back in a year, but for now here is my top ten reasons why I hate Timothy Tebow.

10. Everyone loves him

9. He works way too hard

8. He prays way too hard

7. He thinks he has accomplished everything he has, because he prays so hard

6. He has more National Championships than I do JCC basketball titles.

5. When he talks, I want to kill myself.

4. I hate his hair. Football players don’t gel their hair before, after, and during games.

3. He is not a Jew. Worst of all he keeps reminding us of this tremendous flaw.

2. He does not drink, do any drugs, or have any sex with his girlfriend

1. Google "Tim Tebows Girlfriend"

Just don’t tell me he has a red shirt season left.