2014 NFL Playoffs: Talk About a Happy New Year!

Well...Sunday was fun, wasn't it? I actually got to watch a slate of NFL games without having to obsessively check my phone. At least for Fantasy Football reasons. The playoff field is set, with the first games (Wild Card Round) taking place this Saturday and Sunday. First, here's the rundown as far as games/seeds/times/TV stations go for this weekend (and THEN I'll get to predictions):

Saturday, January 4

Kansas City Chiefs(5) at Indianapolis Colts(4), 3:35 p.m. CT on NBC

New Orleans Saints(6) at Philadelphia Eagles(3), 7 p.m. on NBC

Sunday, January 5

San Diego Chargers(6) at Cincinnati Bengals(3), 12:05 p.m. on CBS

San Francisco 49ers(5) at Green Bay Packers(4), 3:40 p.m. on FOX

Below is a more visual bracket, courtesy of Fansided

Prediction Time!

Chiefs at Colts:

   This one can also be called "Battle of the Bipolars". The Chiefs started off 9-0 (hooray!) but lost five of their last seven to finish 11-5. Granted, the division was impossible to win with Peyton Manning and the Broncos dominating, but I can't figure out who will show up. Enter the Colts, who boast wins on the road against San Francisco (last year's Super Bowl runner-up) and at home against the Seahawks. They also beat the Chiefs in Arrowhead a couple weeks ago pretty handily. But then again, they also got tossed around by the Cardinals (lost 40-11) and the Rams (28-8). Andrew Luck is definitely my favorite of the "new crop" of quarterbacks, and he's ALSO done more with less. With Reggie Wayne being out for the year and Trent Richardson ho-hum, Luck and the Colts ARE a four seed at...11-5! I think the dome field advantage (see what I did there?) works for the Colts and they pull out this victory. Take away Jamaal Charles, or at least his big plays, and I think the Chiefs are in trouble. I like the Colts. Colts 31, Chiefs 13

Saints at Eagles

   Now this one, THIS one could be fun. The upstart Eagles, under the reign of first-year coach Chip Kelly, outlasted Jerry Jones' Fighting Kyle Ortons to clinch the NFC East at 10-6. The Saints are the six seed at 11-5. Here's who I think wins and why. Spoiler alert: It's not that complicated. The New Orleans Saints are 8-0...at home. In New Orleans. On the road: 3-5, with the three wins being Tampa Bay, Chicago and Atlanta. A very "meh" set of road wins. The Eagles are coming off a couple of very good wins, putting up 54 points at home to Chicago and beating the Cowboys 24-22 to seal the NFL Playoffs deal. The Eagles score just under 27 points at home (just over 30 if you take out their home losses on October 20 and 27 to the Cowboys and Giants). Drew Brees has plenty of weapons around him, but Philly, in the winter, and with a hostile crowd doesn't bode well. As someone who had Brees on his fantasy football playoff team this year, it was horrendous seeing his points drop when on the road. I like the Eagles. Eagles 27, Saints 21

Chargers at Bengals

   The Chargers are the Chargers, whom I don't particularly like. But thanks to a botched no-call on a missed Kansas City field goal last Sunday, THE CHARGERS ARE IN! (and the Steelers are out)

This game is another example of the home/road differential that might rear its head. The Bengals have a whopping ZERO losses at home. A perfect 8-0 for Marvin Lewis' team. With A.J. Green, Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, I don't see the Chargers being able to keep up. Oh, the Bengals have BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Giovani Bernard as well? Yeah ok, point made. Bengals 24, Chargers 20

49ers at Packers

   We've seen this game before! Well at least kind of. Last year San Francisco beat Green Bay 45-31 in the playoffs. This year in week one, The 49ers won once again to the tune of 34-28. Both games were played in San Francisco. Now I watched the Packers game against the Bears this past weekend and Aaron Rodgers...looked pretty alright... http://cdn3.sbnation.com/assets/3782191/packwin.gif

   Rodgers gets to strut back into Lambeau Field on Sunday and I expect a shootout. Both defenses are probably going to get their fair share of hits on the opposing quarterback. But I still think we'll see a few 40 or 50 yard plays because of increased blitzes and athletic wideouts. Plus...Vernon Davis http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Jy7TZ7mTAQ!! This is as close to a toss up as I think there will be in the Wild Card round. I think Rodgers makes the most of having Randall Cobb back (as he did against the Bears with two touchdowns), who is now in the fold with Jordy Nelson and James Jones. Eddie Lacy is pretty hard to tackle too. Packers 34, 49ers 31

So there's the Wild Card round, but here's a VERY quick snapshot of how I think the rest of the playoffs will go...

AFC

Colts at Broncos: Ugggggh the expected "Do I have to pick a winner?" game. Luck ended the Broncos unbeaten start to the season. Peyton Manning shattered the records (after repairing his shattered neck). I honestly can't decide with a gut feeling, other than this will be probably the most watched game before the Super Bowl. Can I got with the upset? Andrew Luck matches Manning throw for throw because he's no chump. Bring on the next challenge. Indianapolis 28, Denver 24

Bengals at Patriots: Ohhhhh sneaky good game. The Bengals won this matchup the first time around, at home, 13-6. Tom Brady has done such a good job with essentially no tight ends and a bunch of draft pick no-names as receivers. And yet his team is 12-4 with home field advantage! On this stage however, I think we see the inexperience come back to bite New England. Bengals 24, Patriots 20

NFC 

Packers at Seahawks: If there's a team built to win in Seattle in the playoffs, I don't think it's the Packers. Rodgers has swag, but the Seattle secondary INVENTED swag. Seattle 27, Green Bay 17

Eagles at Panthers: Ron Rivera should be Coach of the Year. Chip Kelly should be Rookie Coach of the Year...wait, that doesn't exist!? This is another sneaky good game because of all the speedsters on the field. I think this Panthers defense is outstanding, however, and boasts my personal favorite name in the NFL: Captain Munnerlyn! Carolina 30, Eagles 20

AFC Championshp

Colts at Bengals: Battle of the young quarterbacks. Just like it was meant to be. Week 14 saw Luck and company lose to Andy Dalton...and company, 42-28 (in Cincinnati). Let's just say I'd vote for Andrew Luck if he ever decided to run for president. Indy 23, Bengals 20

NFC Championship

Panthers at Seahawks: Rematch of week one. Won by the Seahawks on the road, 12-7. Defenses that are both tough, speedy and have great chemistry with one another (The teammates do. Luke Kechly won't be dining with Richard Sherman anytime soon). I've never been to CenturyLink Field butttt I hear it gets pretty loud. Seattle 17, Carolina 6

Super Bowl

Regardless of what you think of my predictions, they're just that. If you don't agree with something or have questions as to why I picked who I did, let's talk! Anyway...

Colts vs. Bengals

  The ushering in of a new champion and a new tier of quarterbacks. As a kid who has spent all 19 of his years in the great state of Iowa, I hope there's a foot of snow for Super Bowl XLIII (48) being held on February 2 in New Jersey. I realize this is probably the matchup that NOBODY had, but it's the one I think will happen. Indianapolis has the leader both in Luck and Chuck Pagano, plus a team full of guys who play for each other. Selfless. Seattle has a more than intimidating defense, Marshawn "Beast Mode" Lynch and Pete Carroll (which DOES count for something). This game can't end in a tie, so here you go.. Colts 24, Seattle 23

Contact me by following me on Twitter (@super_mario64), friending me on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/BallinItalian) or emailing me at thesupermario64@gmail.com! 

   

Cyclones, Yanks, Cowboys: Merry Christmas and a Happy New Blog Post!

Greetings! Hope the few of you reading this had a fantastic Christmas and are looking forward to a fantastic new year! Since I have yet to "find my groove" when it comes to posting consistently to this blog, we'll do another topical carousel of sporting events I feel need to be talked about. And away!


Iowa State Men's Basketball: The team is 11-0, after claiming a Hawaii tourney victory and still on a high after beating Iowa (11-2) a few weeks back in Ames. As someone who stood in line for a couple hours outside in the cold to see the Cy-Hawk matchup, I couldn't feel more happy after being rejected. There's probably some relationship advice there or something, but I digress. This Cyclones team is near the top IN THE NATION in points (fifth), rebounds (tenth) and assists (SECOND!). If there was a more well rounded team in recent memory, I can't think of it. Everyone on this team can shoot, everyone can pass and everyone can rebound. Which is amazing, since Dustin Hogue (10.3 RPG) and Melvin Ejim (8.8 RBG) both stand only six-and-a-half feet tall. I love undersized players with freaky motors and athleticism, and this ISU team has them stockpiled. In an NCAA field enamored with Marcus Smart, Andrew Wiggins and Jabari Parker, I'd just as soon trust anybody on coach Fred Hoiberg's team.


Drake Men's Basketball: Because I can. 8-3 headed into a showdown with IUPUI (pronounced "Ew-ee-poo-ee"), first year coach Ray Giacoletti has played with the hand he's been dealt: And winning while doing so. Blake Danielak: mono. Gary Ricks Jr.: season-ending foot surgery. Those injuries, mixed with Boston College transfer Jordan Daniels and a slew of other underclassmen have the Bulldogs...in contention for an MVC title? Ok, so I'm getting ahead of myself, but as is the atmosphere on campus, the Bulldogs are finally playing ball that is exciting and is easy to get behind.


New York Yankees (See also "Confusing", "Puzzling"): So I'm a Yankees fan. If you didn't know that, you should frequent this blog more often. "But Mario, you rarely post"...touche.
Anyway, the Yankees decided to go full-on clearance sale and let Robinson Cano, Joba Chamberlain, Curtis Granderson, Boone Logan and Phil Hughes leave. Sure, "let" is a strong word, but if the Yankees front office can't make pinstripes more desirable than Seattle or THE METS(!!!), there's something wrong. Oh, and also, the one thing New York DID do well, which is throw money at people, DIDN'T WORK EITHER! Cano took a 10 year, $240 million deal with the Mariners. With Andy Pettite and Mariano Rivera both recently retired and Derek Jeter...broken, I'm going to make a rather bold prediction: This year's Yankees won't win more than 80 games. The last time the Yankees won less than 80 games was 1992. I was -2 years old. Remember, 1994-95 was the MLB strike, so every team's schedule was shortened. I don't understand the moves made by the front office to be ok with a bulk of the bullpen and the franchise player leave. Jeter isn't the franchise player, Cano is. For those of you wondering. Jacoby Ellsbury, Carlos Beltran and Brian McCann have been the big signings this offseason. I like the move for former Braves catcher Brian McCann, as that position has been mediocre since Posada retired and Jesus Montero was traded (against my will, AGAINST MY WILL!!!!). Ellsbury, while overpriced at seven years, $153, can be valuable to this team. Kinda wondering why he left Boston, but again, money sometimes players talks louder than rings. Then, enter Carlos Beltran. He was last seen breaking a rib or two trying to catch a fly ball in the playoffs. He's a great player no doubt, BUT WHERE DO YOU PLAY HIM!? The Yanks have Brett Gardner, Ellsbury, Beltran, Alfonso Soriano AND A GUY NAMED ICHIRO. Imagine the young arms that the millions of dollars wrapped up in Soriano and Ichiro could get. Yet here they all are, sitting in a crowder outfield with a short right-field porch.
Hiroku Kuroda is staying with the team though, hooray!....on a one year, $16 million deal, CRAP! As if we didn't have enough old dudes, Kuroda will turn 39 in February. Kuroda has been the Yankees best pitcher the past couple of years, compiling a 3.31 ERA in his two years in New York and anchoring the rotation this past year after C.C. Sabathia was destroyed every fifth day. All in all, a very disappointing offseason, as the bullpen walked out the door, a rotation got older (and thinner with Phil Hughes leaving for Minnesota) and Robinson Cano took his power and consistency to the Pacific Northwest. But hey, New York is in the running for Japanese pitcher Masahiro Tanaka! In other news, the sky is blue.


Tony Romo: This subject is beyond hilarious. But not for the reason you think. After becoming a Vikings fan this year (It was a process, but yes I am. Here's hoping for our top 10 draft pick!), I realized all too quickly how important a good quarterback is. Ponder. Then Cassel. Then Ponder. THEN JOSH FREEMAN!?!? Then Ponder again. And finally Cassel.
And so I ask: Why are there Tony Romo haters!??! Seriously, why do they exist? Romo literally carried the Cowboys on his back last Sunday to a win against the Redskins. The result: Season-ending back surgery. If there's a reason the Cowboys haven't been consistent or championship material, it's not because of Romo. Peyton this year has weapons GALORE. Tom Brady has a genius coach and a system that works around him. Brees has the Superdome. Russell Wilson has swagger and a secondary you don't mess with. Joe Flacco had Ray Lewis, Ed Reed and a host of other defensive players that are scary good. What does Romo get? A drama queen in Dez Bryant and a defense that gives up 400+ yards a week. The only reason Tony Romo throws late game interceptions is because the defense has give up too many points. The Cowboys' defense gives up just over 27 points a game. Twenty. Seven. It seems like Romo can't get through a month without having to mount a two minute quarterback. HE DID IT AGAINST MY VIKINGS! I think the criticism is unfair, and as someone whose own NFL team needs a quarterback, I'll finish this post with a simple elementary school proposition when it comes to previously mentioned gun-slingers: "I'll trade ya!"



Questions? Comments? Contact me by following me on Twitter (@super_mario64), friending me on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/BallinItalian), or shooting me an email at thesupermario64@gmail.com
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Breaking Bad: The End.

Just a few disclaimers before I start
-This post, obviously, will contain A LOT of spoilers.
-I may have a tendency to rave about the genius of the show. This post is about THIS SHOW'S END SPECIFICALLY, so any debate bringing in other shows is pointless. I have NOT seen shows like Homeland, The Newsroom, Game of Thrones or even Downton Abbey: But it's solely because I've been extremely invested in this one (I promise to broaden my horizons after Sunday...and after I come out of my finale-induced coma).


Take a deep breath, and let's go:

What We Know
Saul Goodman is in Nebraska (he lost the vacuum cleaner lottery), Jesse is still cooking for the White Supremacists (as Wikipedia calls them), Todd is still a creep, Skyler/Flynn/Baby Emmy (Emmy..not Holly) have left the house and Skyler White--er, Lambert, is driving a taxi part time.
Oh...Walter White? Yeah, he's in this episode...for about 51.5 minutes (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rMlNl0fKwxQ) Walter White, in the video, is in New Hampshire after creating a new identity as Mr. Lambert. After failing to talk his son into accepting a package full of money (all happening in a bar with an uninteresting hockey game going on. TURNOVERS!), Walt calls the Albuquerque DEA office: "I'd like to speak with the agent in charge of the Walter White investigation...[this is] Walter White."
Soon after White orders a drink similar to his good old pal Hank, Charlie Rose pops on the telly interviewinggggg GRETCHEN AND ELLIOTT SCHWARTZ. To those of you who don't know/can't remember, the Schwartzes were colleagues with Walter early on, before White sold his share for $5,000. "I sold my kids' birthright for a few months rent."
In the Charlie Rose interview, the Gretchen and Elliott are donating a crud-ton of money to drug recovery in the southwest, while distancing themselves from Walter White by saying he was only responsible for the name (As Elliott said: "As far as I'm concerned, his contribution begins and ends right there"). As to if Gretchen thinks Walter White is still out there..."No, he's not...I can't speak to the Heisenberg that people refer to him-whatever he became, the sweet, kind, brilliant man that we once knew long ago, he's gone."
DING DING DING! I'll take "Things you don't want to say to Bryan Cranston on a night he didn't win the Best Actor in a Arama Series Emmy" for 1,000! The beauty, as I posted earlier on Facebook, is the combination of writing, directing, acting and the DAGGER that is the Breaking Bad theme (full version can be heard here http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bMt1ILTzCac) to wrap up this episode. I watched the ending maybe five more times...and teared up immensely.

What Will Happen
This brings us to the predictions/speculation/words that Vince Gilligan will make us look stupid to say part of the post. I've got a couple big things I think will happen but will touch on several characters.
-I think Heisenberg lives to see the end. After learning a) His family wants NONE of his money and b) That blue meth is still out there (AND AT 96%!!!!!!), Mr. Berg is not about to let another empire of his get run by...not him.
-No, I do not think Walt goes after Elliott and Gretchen. The plot is too thick and what they SAID was key. Then again...I'm not Vince Gilligan.
-If there's a "committing suicide" card, I think Marie holds it. SHE has nothing. SHE lost the husband that was doing nothing BUT good (the means, debatable, but overall good). Her face in the car, which was the only time we saw her during Granite State, was eerily reminiscent of Skyler trying to drown herself. Just to get out.
-The ricin, you say? I'm glad you asked! I really don't have a "formula" as to who I think will get it and I don't buy into the "Walt takes it himself!" theory. Really? He essentially beat cancer TWICE, survived many guns pressed against the head and is now on a vengeance. Once again, I don't see the cliche "coming to justice" where Walt realizes he has screwed up and takes the ricin himself. Anyway...I HOPE it's for Lydia. She is a liability because of how stupid and pointless her existence is and getting rid of her would make sure a back-to-Heisenberg transition goes smoothly (Plus, he almost already used it on her once).

Overall, I think the show ends with Walt killing Jesse, seeing that Jesse is empty and, as he tried to escape in Granite State, BEGGED Uncle Jack and the gang to kill him. Instead they shot Andrea (AHHHH!!!!). Walt becomes "the cook" again. Back in Live Free or Die's (season 5 premiere) opener, Walt tells Lawson (the gun dude): "This is never leaving town." The other quote that stands out as I watch that opener NOW, after the penultimate episode has aired: "Business." The innocent Denny's server asks what brings the New Hampshire-ite to the ABQ. "Business"...because that's all Heisenberg has left. After successfully protected his family Hank took his trip to Belize, everything Heisenberg had worked so hard for IS NO MORE. I really lost the whole "doing it for family" feeling right around the time he started cooking meth. Wait...that was the pilot. So yeah, I guess I never thought it would end well. Darn.
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Creator Vince Gilligan has already said the finale will be "polarizing not matter how you slice it", which is why I'm ok with my prediction. And, as I choke on my own tears come Sunday around 9:16 p.m., I hope I can take solace in the fact that I'm wrong.

SCREAM! The Spurs, Bulls and Everything Else!

Hey, so let me say this: If yesterday didn't get you watching NBA highlights and/or reserving time for Game 2's, you're dumb. Sorry, I don't mean dumb, I mean...ok I mean dumb. To do a quick recap: 

Bulls vs. Heat- Conventional wisdom says Heat. The Bulls were sans Derrick Rose (more to come later), Kirk Hinrich and Luol Deng (who hasn't played since game 5 of the Nets series). LeBron was given his fourth MVP Award earlier in the day. Hooray! Time for a blowout! But then again, the Bulls have Tom Thibodeau, which is like having George Washington leading your army (Which, the more I think about it, the more I like that analogy. Both guys commanded depleted men, had lots of obstacles to overcome and surprised everyone). The (DAAAAAAAAA) Bulls held James and company to 15 (like, one less than sweet) points in the first quarter and 86 overall. Miami averages a little over 97 a game, so kudos to Thibs (Yes! An analogy AND a nickname!). The game was back and forth, this coming from a guy who depends on the GameCast night after night. Jimmy Butler and Nate Robinson ended up being the X factors. Yeah, Jimmy Butler. And this guy http://tinyurl.com/cprq68n. Crazy game, crazy start to the series. 

Warriors vs. Spurs- "Mario, that Chicago/Miami game was the bomb! Ain't nothing going to be that!" Wrong. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuxtcmJiMqQ. That screaming lady sure is annoying, huh? Two overtimes were jussssssssst enough to decide a winner in a thrilling game one. My mom's a Spurs fan, so I should've known better than to taunt her with an "Oh boy! Golden State is up 104-88!" proclamation. An 18-2 Spurs run shut me up. And quick. Other than another ho-hum night from Curry (44 points, 11 assists) and Ames High School product Harrison Barnes (19 points, 12 rebounds) was not enough to stop Manu Ginobili, who made it onto my "First Team All-Defying Father Time" (He replaces Kobe Bryant who, you know, has a boo-boo).

Pacers vs. Knicks- Pacers won. Spike Lee is upset. As much as I want the summary to end there, I must commend D.J. Augustin for his breakout performance (16 points on 4-5 shooting from three point range, but surprisingly -5 when he was on the court) and J.R. Smith for his acting skills http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MKVStZY0pdw. Seriously, the only thing worse than that is that there were at least three other times J.R. flopped and WASN'T called (A three pointer where he pump faked and leaned into the defender, a drive down the lane where he was falling before even contact the defender). Watch him the next time he goes to the hoop. His signature move is falling over at the free throw line and expecting the defender to catch him as J.R. throws up his hands. Bravo Mr. Smith. 

Grizzlies vs. Thunder- The Grizzlies had the lead and lost it. Thanks Kevin Durant, for voiding the whole "Second round doesn't start until the home team wins" theory http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8K5to5vzwQ0. It's interesting to see how Durant will dominate, then pass the baton, watch his teammates drop it, then pick it back up and lap everyone else en route to victory. Interesting question that has had a reversal of an answer as of late: More important to their team as a point guard, Russell Westbrook or Derrick Rose? It's a crapshoot right? Rose's team just beat the defending champs, and Westbrook's absence finally gives Durant the keys to the car (Because up until then, Westbrook had a copy of the keys).

Speaking of Derrick Rose...

I WANT HIM BACK! Seriously, other than Goran Dragic (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uRAp00SxP30), who is sitting there thinking "You know, that's a wise decision right there!"? I agree with most people that it's probably more mental at this point than physical (See Kevin Ware), but come on! After the Bulls' game one win, if Rose comes back now...watch out El Heat. 

I realize that there's a few topics I still haven't discussed. Namely: Jason Collins and that thing called Major League Baseball. I apologize for the lack of coverage of anything other than basketball lately, I'll try and get on it. Thanks for reading!

Questions? Comments? Contact me by following me on Twitter (@super_mario64), friending me on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/BallinItalian), or shooting me an email at thesupermario64@gmail.com

The Weekend That Was: Golf, Kobe's Achilles and More

I watched golf this weekend. That's right, I spent quite a bit of time observing a middle aged Argentine smoker battle a dashing young Aussie while both holding umbrellas over their heads. Hooray golf! All sarcasm and previous experiences aside, the 18th hole and ensuing playoff between Angel Cabrera and eventual champion Adam Scott had me on the edge of my seat (well I was actually standing, but whatever). The two traded puts late on Sunday to force a soggy playoff, where Scott birdied the 10th hole and promptly slipped on the Green Jacket. In case you missed the finish (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QIX4S6mvNoo) and in case you have no clue what's so special about this "Green Jacket" (http://tinyurl.com/bl95wyw). As amazing as it sounds, golf is one of the only sports I have NEVER played on a grand scale (because mini-golf, as sad as it is, doesn't count). I found the Masters very entertaining, which is pretty reverse of any other experience I've had watching golf. Onto other things...

First, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pjeqlV9S4oI
Then, cry. That's about all you can do if you are a fan of a) basketball, b) great athletes or c) future Hall of Famers turning back the clock and putting up ridiculous stats at a senior citizen age. Kobe is averaging a career-high in assists, while having his best field goal percentage since '08-'09 and rebounds since '07-'08 (http://tinyurl.com/d7nxaus). Kobe is doing it all, and while doing so, did it all TOO MUCH en route to tearing his Achilles, an injury that in all likelihood will keep him out anywhere from six months to a year or more. The main problem here is not the fact that now Steve Nash, Pau Gasol, Dwight Howard and company will have to step it up another notch to just MAKE the playoffs, but the financial predicament that follows The Black Mamba's injury. Kobe is on the books for, oh, a cool $30 million next year. Dwight Howard is a free agent at the end of this year and it now becomes a matter planning for the future or keep Kobe in purple and gold. It's a tough decision and I can't necessarily say that Kobe would take LESS money to stay in L.A. That's essentially what it comes down to, especially since the Lakers are in danger of suffering a huge luxury tax to the tune of over $80 million. Oy.

Time for the "more" section of the blog post!

Kentucky forward/center/string bean Nerlens Noel declared for the draft (http://tinyurl.com/br3knxr). I'll save my "get a degree" and "athletes are students" rants for later, but this is really sad. A couple years ago I thought Kyrie Irving was stupid for leaving for the draft, but he turned out ok (at least this year). Irving was coming off of a foot injury, BUT WE SAW HIM PLAY IN AN NCAA TOURNAMENT GAME! Noel, on the other hand, went down midway through the SEC season and all we have as far as highlights go is his highlight reel of blocks against Ole Miss (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XDDV1l5tNds). While impressive, I doubt know that he doesn't stand a chance against the likes of Tim Duncan, Dwight Howard, Tyson Chandler, Kevin Love, Marc Gasol/Zach Randolph, etc. The list goes on. Be cool, stay in school. Anthony Davis won something, you have not.

Baseball season is in full swing and I haven't made a World Series prediction yet! Um! Ah! Ohhhhh crap! The Braves are off to a hot start, the Nationals are popular and the Blue Jays and Dodgers both have increasing payrolls. I guess I'll have to go with...

Forget it. I'm ending my blog post by letting everybody know that you should pray for Boston right now. An explosion three hours into the event has left several dead, many injured and many more lost and confused. Pray for them. (here's the video for those brave enough to watch: https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=046MuD1pYJg#!)

Questions? Comments? Contact me by following me on Twitter (@super_mario64), friending me on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/BallinItalian), or shooting me an email at thesupermario64@gmail.com

March to the Madness

     Whether you have realized it or not, the NCAA tournament is right around the corner. Here at Drake, our men's team is already in St. Louis preparing to make a cinderella run and claim an automatic bid. After all, the women's team did it in '06-'07, so get to it! (I'm looking at you, Ben Simons).
     While Drake is needing a string of upsets to go dancing, Iowa State is in a much better position. Forget the fact that they lost to Texas Tech, Iowa and two heartbreak losses against Kansas (I'm a Drake student with an Iowa alum for a dad, and those losses killed me). The Cyclones more than likely punched their ticket to the Big Dance with last night's rather convincing upset of #13 Oklahoma State. I didn't expect anything less on senior night, with Cyclone Alley raring to go. The win was much needed after back to back losses and the seniors made their impact. They will be missed, but I'm sure OSU would've liked to...I don't know...play a little defense? Enter CHRIS BABB! His dunk here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBif_bvR0Z4) shows what ISU is capable of when their game is on. Drain the 3's, then penetrate when the defense tightens up. A foolproof plan no doubt. I'm excited to see what they can do to finish up this year, starting with the regular season finale on the road against a mediocre to bad West Virginia squad (13-17 overall, 6-11 in Big 12 play).
     Unless I'm not reading the standings or the Big 12 bracket setup right, the 'Clones will play Oklahoma in the first round of the Big 12 tourney no matter what. It's a 4/5 seed matchup so it's basically a wash. Assuming ISU takes down the Sooner, there would be a potential matchup with the #1 seed: Kansas or Kansas State. We'll say Kansas for the sake of mob-rising and pitchfork-raising. Either way, March is certainly going to be fun to watch.

Other News and Notes
-The Miami Heat are on a 16 game winning streak. I never would've thought, considering they have the best player in the game in LeBron James, the best shooter in the game in Ray Allen and of course: Snoop Bosh Chris Lion. I think I got that right.... (http://static.foxsports.com/content/fscom/images/20027/NBA_player_Chri_9336328_0_0.JPG
-Spring Training for the MLB is in full swing and my Yankees are dead in the water already. Nick Swisher and Raul Ibanez left in the offseason, we did nothing but re-sign players that are now a year older and significant injuries are creeping in. Derek Jeter is working his way back but Curtis Granderson and Mark Teixeira will both miss quite a bit of time. My verdict: Yanks will place either third or fourth. Mostly because I want to see the Blue Jays be the opposite of the Marlins, the Rays will always be consistent AND young and the Red Sox should bounce back.
-Joe Flacco signed his mega-contract, to the tune of 6 years/$120.6 million. That's over $20 million a year. And we wonder why our debt keeps growing. Oh well.

That's all for now. Thanks for reading!

Questions? Comments? Contact me by following me on Twitter (@super_mario64), friending me on Facebook(http://www.facebook.com/BallinItalian), or shooting me an email at thesupermario64@gmail.com

New Year, New Post. Let's Do This.

So it's now 2013, and I have outdone myself with the ability to procrastinate and get caught up in school. So sue me, I'm a college teenager. Oh well. 

We start with the Manti Te'o story, and I mean THE MANTI TE'O STORY! For those of you who are new to this guy, or are just reading this because you know me, I'll give you the sparknotes version. Manti Te'o plays linebacker for Notre Dame. During the season it was reported his grandmother and girlfriend died IN THE SAME DAY. What did he do? Played football and helped his team beat Michigan St. Fast forward, and his team is undefeated and playing for the National Championship. Te'o is the symbol of character and toughness, and he is deemed a saint (not officially though) for what he went through. So now you're caught up. Now enter in an article from deadspin.com (Here's link to the article. Took me about a half hour to read, it's THAT loaded...http://tinyurl.com/b29k3pd). The article claims (and we later find out it's true) that Te'o's girlfriend NEVER EXISTED. Through a clever social media hoax, Te'o had been "dating" somebody who wasn't real. As crazy as it seems, the story only gets weirder. Te'o throughout the year had been interviewed about "when they talked" and Te'o's dad even said the girlfriend visited Manti in Hawaii. Uh...ruh roh! As George Castanza said in "The Soul Mate" (ironic huh?): "The more layers you peel, the more it stinks". If Manti was the victim of a hoax straight up, he's naive and not as bright as we thought. If he was in on it however, this brings up a completely different scenario. As much as I would hate to see that happen, would it really surprise anyone? After all, this girlfriend in part helped propel him to second on the Heisman Trophy ballot. This is a day and age in sports where anyone will do anyTHING to get on top. Not only do people do what they want when they want, but the apology is now a process which has to be dragged out and publicized (I'm looking at you Lance Armstrong). The NFL combine/interviews are sure to wreak havoc on this guy, but I guarantee you that even if he WAS behind the scheme, he's still drafted ridiculously high. And to me, he shouldn't be drafted AT ALL if this was his idea. 

Other tidbits:

-NFL Playoffs: Kaepernick can run. Matt Bryant can kick. Texans can't catch. And Peyton Manning can play better defense than this...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVxF0NKYZAA

-LeBron James become the youngest to score 20,000 points, and also dished out his 5,000th assist. Very impressive, but I'm still waiting...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pT-I8jQDQ7c

-Iowa State beat West Virginia on a last second shot by Georges Niang (spelled it right on the first try. Booyah.). Way to go ISU, hard to maintain those 18 point leads sometimes.

-Eagles hire Chip "The Flip" Kelly (come on, that nickname is gold!). The Flip coming from the fact that he originally stated he'd be returning to Eugene, Oregon to coach the ducks. All Hail The Flip!

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