Must See Sports - Second Weekend of January, 2011

Thursday, January 6, 2011

Oklahoma City Thunder at Dallas Mavericks (TNT)

Two hot second place teams in their divisions square off tonight as the Oklahoma City Thunder attempt to close the gap with the Northwest Division leading Utah Jazz and the Dallas Mavericks attempt to keep pace with the San Antonio Spurs in the fiercely competitive Southwest division.

Any game with Thunder forward Kevin Durant is worth the price of admission as Durant is leading the NBA in his quest for a second consecutive scoring title. Mavericks forward CaRon Butler is likely out for the season after surgery to repair a tear in the petellar tendon in his right knee. Dirk Nowitzki has missed the last five games with a sprained knee. According to the Mavericks game notes at nba.com, Nowitzki is not a projected started for tonight's game.

The Mavericks are talented and well coached, but OKC is now a big boy in the Western Conference. Durant plus no Dirk equals no dice for Dallas.

Advantage: Thunder



Friday, January 7, 2011

AT&T Cotton Bowl (Fox)
LSU Tigers (11) vs Texas A&M Aggies (17)

The Tigers and Aggies renew what was once an annual rivalry, which ended after the 1995 match. LSU brings a 10-2 record into the Cotton Bowl, having lost only to SEC Champion Auburn and Arkansas, both of whom are BCS bowl game participants. The Aggies resurrected their season after a 3-3 start and their program. The Aggies are ranked, heading into their bowl game, after several years of mediocrity and disappointment to Aggieland.

Renewing old acquaintances. Eddie "Boo" Kennison of LSU evades Guinton Brown in the Tigers and Aggies last meeting on September 2, 1995. 1

A&M quarterback Ryan Tannehill and running back Cyrus Gray are largely responsible for the 2010 Aggie surge. However, LSU has a defense, led by All-American cornerback Patrick Peterson, that can lock down any offense at any time and at any place. This may be a quasi-home game for the Aggies, but LSU fans travel well and Texas A&M has not faced anything on its Big XII schedule like it is going to face tomorrow.

Advantage: LSU
Saturday, January 8, 2011

2010 NFL Playoffs

New Orleans Saints (11-5) at Seattle Seahawks (7-9) (NBC)

This could be dubbed the "Life's Not Fair Bowl". The defending Super Bowl Champion New Orleans Saints, with an 11-5 record, just one game back of the NFC's top seeded Atlanta Falcons, have to travel to Seattle, home of the NFC West Champion Seahawks, with 7 wins and 9 losses. REALLY??? You carry a 6-9 record into Week 17 and a team with 11 wins has to travel to see YOU to defend its championship. REALLY???

                                                                                                        

The Saints placed running backs Chris Ivory (the Ivory Tusk) and Pierre Thomas on injured reserve, ending their seasons. Reggie Bush faces his old college coach at USC, Pete Carroll. Seattle is at home. The Saints clearly play a half-step down when in cold weather. And Qwest Field may be the loudest outdoor stadium in the NFL. Okay, Seahawks Fan...dream over. Time to wake up.

Advantage: Saints




New York Jets (11-5) at Indianapolis Colts (10-6) (NBC)

I bleed black and gold, but I do not expect much of a contest in Saturday's early game. This is the matchup I am most looking forward to. This is a matchup of two teams that entered the season with Super Bowl aspirations, yet hit unexpected speed bumps during the regular season.

Ines Sinez: speed bumps 2

The defending AFC Champion Colts hit speed bumps in the form of injuries. Tons and tons of injuries.... Running back Joseph Addai missed a chunk of the season with a neck injury. Pro Bowl wide receiver Reggie Wayne has nursed a banged up knee for much of the season, though he has played. Pro Bowl tight end Dallas Clark was lost for the season. Standout wide receiver Austin Collie, who suffered multiple concussions during the season, was placed on injured reserve and is lost for the season, in addition to missing several games. That is just on the offensive side of the ball. Former Pro Bowl safety Bob Sanders, an integral part of the Colts last Super Bowl winning team in the 2006 season, was lost for the season earlier in the year. The list continues, but I believe I have made my point.


Speed bumps.... 3

The Jets hit speed bumps of a different variety. In an effort to keep sophomoric humor to a minimum at the Hat Trick, I will just throw out the Inez Sinez, Jenn Sterger/Brett Favre, and Michelle Ryan foot fetish sex scandals out there. Reportedly, some team masseuses have jumped on the Jets sexual harassment gravy train, claiming Brett Favre attempted to similarly work his charms during his stay with the Jets in 2008. Seriously, Jets? Couldn't you all drive to New Jersey and hire some pole dancers? It would satisfy the players just as much and it would be an improvement in working conditions for them, further shielding you guys from lawsuits. Then again, their owner is named "Woody".


Speed bumps??? 4

The Jets also suffered some hard knocks on the field. A 45-3 shellacking at the hands of the New England Patriots, in what was believed to be the game of the year and a defacto AFC East championship game, not only made a bold statement about which team was the class of the AFC, but appeared to shut down the ubiquitous Jets swagger and silence to vociferous Jets Head Coach, Rex Ryan.

The Jets appeared to have recovered as much of their mojo as possible and the Colts are still ravished with injures. Peyton Manning should be commended for the Houdini escape act from playoff elimination, when the Colts were 6-6 and trailing the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, home field advantage or not, the Jets have all of their parts and the Colts are working with Chinese imported spares.

Advantage: Jets



Hey Lois! Look at me! I'm Rex Ryan! Now make me a "Goddamn snack"! Eheheheheh! 7


Sunday, January 9, 2011


2010 NFL Playoffs

Baltimore Ravens (12-4) at Kansas City Chiefs (10-6) (CBS)

The Baltimore Ravens, at many times, appeared to be the best team in the National Football League during the regular season. So did the Pittsburgh Steelers. The Steelers had slightly more ammo in the regular season and won the AFC North, forcing the Ravens into the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs and having to travel to AFC West division champion Kansas City in the first round.

NFL Kansas City Chiefs Disposable Click Pens

The Chiefs are vastly improved and Matt Cassell is beginning to live up to the potential he demonstrated when he filled in for an injured Tom Brady during the 2008 season. Chiefs running backs Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones are as potent a 1-2 punch as one can find in any offensive backfield. However, the Ravens are the Ravens. Their defense, particularly against the run, is as good as it gets. Joe Flacco is peeking. Chiefs Head Coach Todd Haley has done a great job at improving his team quickly, but the Chiefs have demonstrated shortcomings against tougher opponents. Cinderella's carriage turns back into a pumpkin on Sunday.

Advantage: Ravens

I pity the fool that crosses paths with Ray Ray! 5

 
Green Bay Packers (10-6) at Philadelphia Eagles (10-6) (Fox)

This is an eagerly anticipated rematch of the Week 1 game that launched the unexpected, inspirational comeback story of Michael Vick. Kevin Kolb suffered a concussion in the Eagles first meeting with the Packers at Lincoln Financial Field. The Eagles fell behind by 17 points in the 3rd quarter. In steps Mike Vick. One hundred and three rushing yards (in one half) and a 16/24 passing performance with one touchdown later...the 2010 Mike Vick comeback story begins.

The Packers suffered the loss of running back Ryan Grant in week one. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers has continued to lead the offense effectively in spite of the gaping hole in the backfield. Rodgers was only sacked 31 times this season, a vast improvement over the 50 sacks Rodgers endured in 2009.

Still, the Packers offensive line does not instill the greatest degree of confidence in me heading into a road playoff game. The Eagles have gelled and rallied around Vick. The Eagles are at home. And the Eagles must have payback on the brain.

Advantage: Eagles
 
Monday, January 10, 2011
 
Tostitos BCS National Championship Game (ESPN)
Oregon Ducks (2) vs Auburn Tigers (1)
 
This is the main event in college football, what we have all been waiting for. Oregon vs Auburn. Heisman Trophy winning quarterback Cam Newton of Auburn vs Heisman finalist running back LeMichael James of Oregon. The Pac-10 vs the SEC.

Cam Newton steamrolled some of the toughest SEC defenses, including LSU, Arkansas, and Alabama. Oregon faced college football titans such as Washington State, UCLA, Arizona State, Oregon State and Washington. Yeah...this matchup is tough to call. C'MON MAN!!!

Advantage: Auburn

Cam Newton was just getting warmed up. 6

Wednesday, January 12, 2011
 
NCAA Men's Basketball
Pittsburgh Panthers (5) at Georgetown Hoyas (13) (ESPN)

College football season will be over by Wednesday. So WHAT? That's why we have the hardwood, baby! This nationally televised Big East showdown should be a dandy. The only blemish on Pittsburgh's record is a loss to #13 Tennessee, with Volunteers Head Coach Bruce Pearl (pre-suspension). An impressive and convincing win over #4 Connecticut helped catapult the Panthers into the Top 5. Georgetown suffered an unexpected upset loss at St. John's this past Monday, placing them at a disadvantage early in the Big East race.

Georgetown forward Julian Vaughn and guards Austin Freeman and Chris Wright continue to be a three headed monster for anyone crossing the Hoyas' path. Pittsburgh guards Ashton Gibbs, who stepped up BIG, in the UConn game, and Brad Wanamaker will be the determinants for the success or failure of the Panthers. Pittsburgh appears to be the better team on paper, at this time. But basketball is played with talent, not paper, and I think that Georgetown has more of it. Pittsburgh has sound fundamentals, but Georgetown is simply shooting the lights out and have too many players that can step up at any time and take over a game.

Advantage: Georgetown

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1) Image from life.com
2) Image from the sportsbank.net
3) Image from nydailynews.com
4) Image from 111newsview.com
5) Image from ravens24x7.blogspot.com
6) Image from imagecpr.com
7) Image source unknown