Window of Trouble

The offseason in the NFL more often than not is littered with players getting in trouble with the law. Each year between the conclusion of mandatory minicamp and the beginning of training camp there isn’t much to do for a young player who’s single that is productive. If I were a young player and I had some free time, I’d go buy a PlayStation 4 and play video games, or go to movies with my friends, or go to baseball games, hoping to be seen.

Unfortunately a few players party at clubs, consume alcohol, get behind the wheel of a vehicle inebriated, and either get arrested for DUI or cause a much larger tragedy, like getting into an auto accident and taking the life of a person. This kind of behavior is very deplorable and very preventable...

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Beanball Wars

Let’s talk about the worst form of human nature, revenge. In baseball, a batter sometimes gets hit with a pitch for any of the following reasons: the batter before him flips his bat when he hits a home run, the same batter does likewise (gets plunked next time up), an opponent gets hit by a pitch and his team retaliates, or the Skipper orders his pitcher to plunk the current batter.

This is one unwritten rule that needs to be thrown in the garbage. First of all, it is a safety issue. Remember Ray Chapman? He died as a result of being hit by a pitch. Batting helmets won’t always save you. Let’s put an end to this rubbish of intentional hit by pitch. The last thing we want to see is a MLB or minor league game turn into a WWE event. Fans didn’t pay to see that nonsense.

Please govern yourselv...

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Shaqtin A Fool MVP 2016

My favorite blooper reel, Shaqtin’ A Fool, is about a few weeks away from being crowned. Here are my “highlight” plays, my top ten.

10: Marcus Smart, greatest flop in NBA History. Boston vs Atlanta playoff series.

9. James Harden, pulling an Otto Porter countless times this season.

8. JaVale McGee, checking into a game with his warm-up pants on.

7. Josh Smith, a new record 25 step travel.

6. Rajon Rondo, annoying the referee who was trying to get him to inbound the ball.

5. D’Angelo Russell, playing defense against his own teammate.

4. Drew Gooden, trying to flop but failing to successfully do so.

3. Dirk Nowitzki, bunny-hopping three times while posting up a defender.

2. Garlon Green, after the other team misses a free throw, he dunks the ball in his own hoop.

1...

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A start…? Or a continuance?

Byron Scott is out as head coach of the Los Angeles Lakers. He leaves LA with no playoff appearances and lots of angst and controversy.

Where do the Lakers go from here? They missed an opportunity to sign coach Tom Thibodeau, who ended up in Minnesota. Could Phil Jackson be in the cards? If not, the Lakers are going to be a bad team for the foreseeable future.

I think the Lakers should try to make a run at Golden State’s assistant coach Luke Walton. He was a key cog in getting the Warriors to a 73-9 record. Although the Lakers don’t have as many good players as Golden State, I can still see Walton leading the Lakers back to respectability as early as 2016-17...

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End of an Era

For the Lakers’ faithful, this has been the worst season in franchise history. Who will carry the torch going forward? D’Angelo Russell is the most viable candidate, but the answer, unfortunately, is not on the team right now. Especially with the night Kobe Bryant had vs. the Utah Jazz tonight.

Kobe scored 60, yes, that’s right, sixty points in a come from behind victory.

I remember being a sophomore in high school when Kobe was drafted, leaving Tim Duncan as the only player that was active, before I graduated high school, that will play in 2016-17. His finest hour was sweeping the Orlando Magic in the 2009 NBA Finals, to win his 4th title, first as the key player on his team.

What lies ahead for Kobe?

Congratulations on a great career, Kobe Bryant. Good luck in your future endeavors.

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2016 MLB Predictions

Baseball is back. The sounds, sights, and smells of the game make us all reminisce. Sure, millennials with their technology intruding the sport have changed the procedures of playing the game. Some of it is detrimental, but a lot of it is very productive. One change I’d like to see: Get rid of replay. We are already enough like robots we no longer need our umpires to be one. That’s what replay is doing. If there is a controversial call, get the umpires to gather about and decide it in one minute, as opposed to much more with replay. The mistakes are part of life. An umpire blowing a call shows us that they, like us, are human beings, not robots. Future generations can learn from this.

Now that my rant is over, here are my 2016 MLB predictions

AL East Champion: Toronto Blue Jays

AL Central:...

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One and Done… or is it?

College basketball is a joke. I know the NBA has the rule a player can’t go pro until he is one year removed from high school, but this rule is causing college athletic programs to inadvertently commit myriad NCAA violations. An example is O.J. Mayo, formerly of the University of Southern California. He didn’t want to be in school and him being there caused USC to commit a violation. If Mayo had been permitted to go pro out of high school, it would’ve saved both him and USC a ton of issues.

I think players should have at least an Associate’s Degree to be in the NBA. It gives them options. What if a player suffers a catastrophic injury a month or so into his career and can no longer play at all? An educated person has a safety net to fall in...

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Boneheaded Manuever ever?

I never thought I’d see this day which the NFL admitted to a congressional committee that playing football is linked to CTE.

This move was the all-time blunder because it will be the end of football as we all know it. Parents will keep their kids away from the sport. It will be regulated just like boxing is. Keep government out of sports unless an existing law is repeatedly being breached. Sports is America’s last remaining bastion of freedom. Let’s fight to keep it that way for good.

Back to the NFL. I’m sure NFL for the witness at the congressional hearing stands for Not for Long. That relates to his job. Or the NFL stands for Non-Functioning Losers.

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Quality Issues of NBA play

The debate has begun; do we try to make the NBA watchable or do we just start fining players for appearing on Shaqtin’ A Fool? I’d say fine them the price of a sandwich and a beverage at Subway. Its purpose is to get players to step their game up.

We have guys doing things like traveling long distances, I.e. seven or more steps without dribbling, to airballing free throws, to (the worst offense) not playing defense at all. I’m glad Shaqtin’ exists because it can motivate players to be more alert.

My choice for Shaqtin’ MVP: Garlon Green, of some team in Germany. Look him up on YouTube. He dunked the ball in his own basket.

Anyway, the NBA right now is sometimes hard to watch because while offenses are still flashy, I have not heard of a team having a good defense because defense has appare...

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Super Bowl Memories from my couch

Super Bowl Sunday. No better holiday (yes, it should be considered a holiday and Monday after should be a paid day off work to get over the hangovers) than comraderie with friends and family, stuffing our faces with all kinds of food, from pizza to chips, hamburgers to wings, soda to alcoholic beverages.

Tips for a successful Super Bowl party:

1) Make sure there are a barbecue grill and plenty of charcoal. Gas grills are not safe and the taste isn’t as good

2) Plenty of beverages. Bring as many beverages as you want, but bring only those that you know your buddies will drink and that they last the whole game. If you’re under 21, DO NOT USE OR BRING ALCOHOL TO THE PARTY!

3) If the game is a blowout, don’t turn off the screen. A fan of the team ahead could be enjoying every minute of it...

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