Sports Goats
Category: Uncategorized
Good to be back after grazing in the land of goats.
Watched the second half of the Super Bowl again last weekend to process how everything truly unfolded. What I discovered was that one of the top announcing teams in the NFL; Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, were downright awful, didn’t have a pulse of the game or how it was changing and were emotionless until it became painfully obvious when the Patriots cut it to 28-20 that something historical was going on. They missed obvious turning points, barely if at all mentioned that history was in the making, again, until you couldn’t miss it and Aikman seemed like he would have been happier golfing with Jerry Jones or riding the coattails of Emmitt Smith than announcing the Super Bowl.
One other note. I will argue with anyone that the Falcons play-calling once Julio Jones made that amazing catch to get them in easy field goal range, was worse than Pete Carroll calling a pass on second down on the two yard line. I maintain that the problem was with Carroll’s decision to call a pass would have been defendable if it wasn’t an inside slant that was high risk, low-reward as opposed to a fade pattern to Chris Matthews who was killing the Patriots. You had the element of surprise and two more downs to give it to Marshawn Lynch.
For the Falcons to pass in that situation when they essentially put the game away with a two- score lead while the Patriots had established huge offensive momentum was unforgiveable. The way the Falcons carelessly gave away two timeouts in the third quarter was awful as well and imagine how Matt Ryan’s last drive could have been different with 56 seconds left if he could have stopped the clock. Yet Ryan and Kyle Shanahan still defended it.
Tom Brady might be the G.O.A.T but Dan Quinn is a goat.
Feeling the Heat
As the NBA trade deadline approaches next week, the topic of can anyone challenge a LeBron James coached team (not a typo) is up for debate again? Between the Heat and the Cavaliers, LeBron hasn’t had a legitimate challenger since he took his talents to South Beach.
But hence we have the Boston Celtics at 37-19, a mere three games behind Cleveland. Since dropping their third straight game on Jan. 24, they are 11-1 with their lone loss to the DeMarcus Cousinsless Sacramento Kings. Danny Ainge what are you going to do bolster this juggernaut? All these valuable draft picks and commodities that are improving value by the day. Marcus Smart untouchable? Terry Rozier…would rather not trade him? Jae Crowder…need the toughness and his improved shooting. Kelly Olynyk even seems to have located some basketball IQ.
Don’t fall for it. Boston has one emerging star who has yet to prove he can deliver in the playoffs in Isaiah Thomas. Since the Bird-Magic era, there have been two…count them two teams in 37 years, that you might be able to argue won with either one or no superstars.
The 2003-04 Detroit Pistons led by Chauncey Billups, Rip Hamilton, Rasheed Wallace and Tayshaun Prince beat the feuding/distracted Shaq and Kobe and the aging Gary Payton and Karl Malone. The other was the 2010-11 Dallas Mavericks, who are truly the closest example, had Dirk Nowitzki and guys like Caron Butler, Tyson Chandler, Shawn Marion and the Jasons; Kidd and Terry. By the way, in case you forgot, the Mavs beat James, Chris Bosh and Wade (Insert choke symbol).
Virtually all the other 35 NBA champions either had three stars or two dominant superstars and the Celtics have neither. If you have a chance to land a star or impact player that is under contract for at least two more years, do it! Overpay because building through the draft doesn’t and shouldn’t get it done in a basketball market like Boston. Jimmy Butler at 24 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals per game would be worth it. Plus once you land one, others will come. Kevin Garnett doesn’t come here if the Celtics didn’t land Ray Allen.
Claudes
Can an organization be any more mismanaged than the Boston Bruins? President Cam Neely runs the team like one of his feeble fight partners he used to toy with. Don Sweeney is an organizational retread that has the charisma of a doorknob, not to mention the egregious trades and acquisitions he has made in his two-year tenure.
And the cap to this mess is the just recently completed Claude Julien circus. A great coach during his time in Boston that ended the Bruins 39 year Stanley Cup drought. He should have been fired two years ago and at minimum last year, but an indecisive management that is clearly intimidated by the media, sat back and did nothing. Now management finally does something right, and the backlash has been puzzling to say the least. Many Bruins fans point to the fact that Claude helped the Bruins overachieve and got the most out of this talentless roster. Was not making the playoffs the last two years and heading that direction a third year an overachieving? I’d hate to see what would have happened if he wasn’t here.
Regardless of the quality of the coach, sometimes your voice stops being heard, or you aren’t reaching or trusting the younger players or all the above? Claude needed to go and the fact that he went to Montreal is probably a good fit, but because the Canadiens picked him up, doesn’t mean it was a mistake to fire him. Unfortunately, there are two still clods running the show.
Miscellaneous Thoughts:
The Jets issued a statement to try and explain Darelle Revis’ involvement in a Pittsburgh street fight. The explanation didn’t mention that this was the closest Revis came to making a tackle all season.
The Knicks are still in disarray, Carmelo Anthony still doesn’t pass and Phil Jackson still needs Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant or Shaquille O’Neal to have success.
Great news coming out of Tampa. Hal Steinbrenner sees an expanded role for AROD. Free steroids and unlimited narcissism for all.
Pats shouldn’t trade Jimmy Garoppolo unless they get a king’s ransom.
The Brooklyn Nets are so bad that not only do they have the worst record, the second-worst team, the Phoenix Suns have a whopping eight and a half game cushion.
Have the UCONN women lost yet?