NBA Western Conference Playoffs

After neglecting my blog for months, and following everything in the wide world of sports, the NBA season has me back into the writing mood. Things have been heating up in the West, and are at a boiling point. A number of things possible in the conference, including some potential upsets around some of the biggest and star studded teams. There are eleven teams with real playoff potential and aspirations. No one is going to catch the Lakers, at least not until the conference finals, but the rest of the conference will be jockeying for position the rest of the year. Dallas and Denver are tied at number two behind the Lakers at five and a half games back. Denver has been in the number two spot basically the whole year, but Dallas has won eight straight and look to be at full strength, and with the acquisition of Caron Butler become the favorite for the number two spot in the West as I see it. Denver is a good squad, and have depth off the bench to support their seemingly flawless starting unit. That still to me will not be enough to hold off the surging Mavs, who are a deep team as well. Jason Terry going back to his bench role when Caron came to town, where he won the sixth man of the year award last year and seems to be where he is most comfortable. Also, Jason Kidd feeling his revival still in Dallas, got his first triple double of the season a couple of nights ago, and looks poised to send his team deep into the playoffs.

The lower end of the conference is a lot more congested than the top, where any number of things are possible. Utah, Phoenix, Oklahoma City, San Antonio, and Portland are all within four games of one another, and have been trading places in the conference all season. Houston and New Orleans are both four games out of the playoffs, but I don't see either of them doing anything to garner any tread in the conference and overtaking anyone who is already in. Thus, we seem set in the West, but who will be playing who come playoff time? All these teams are potential number four teams in the West, but I see them staying relatively in the same positions they are now, which is the way I listed them above, with one exception, and that would be Portland switching places with San Antonio. They are coming off a road trip where they went 4 and 5, and have a relatively easy remaining schedule, and are finding a new way to play with newly added Marcus Camby.

So it would be:

1. L.A.

2. Dallas

3. Denver

4. Utah

5. Phoenix

6. Oklahoma City

7. Portland

8. San Antonio

Top Sleepers for Fantasy Football

While doing some fantasy draft research for fantasy football I saw that a lot of the guys that I thought would have either breakout or career years were falling to selections lower than I considered them to be worth. So with that, it got me to thinking, how much influence do sleepers picks have on leagues? Can a couple of good sleepers help you to win your fantasy league? I think the answers to those questions are a resounding "yes." Last year I only played in two fantasy leagues, one on espn.com and one on nfl.com. I placed third in the espn league, but won the nfl league. There was one main reason for this, my sleeper pick, who turned out to be one of the best running backs in the league. I picked Michael Turner in the third round, I seen how he performed while on the Chargers, and thought he could make a real impact in Atlanta. He did, he won me my championship, and is now going one or two in every draft. So who do you pick this year? Who is going to be the guy to take your fantasy team to the next level? Well, this list should help out a bit.

QB:

1. Matt Schaub, Atl- This guy is extremely easy to pick up in most drafts, he is not listed as high as he should be, 20th actually. He started only 11 games last season with Houston, and still passed for over 3,000 yards. He has one of the games most talented receivers in Andre Johnson, and another receiver who flies under the radar, but can still put up big numbers in Kevin Walter. Look for Schaub to have a big season this year, he will start all 16 games barring an injury, and should start in most fantasy leagues.

2. Chad Pennington, Mia- This guy has been falling down draft ladders more and more, he is not drafted more than he is drafted. He had a fairly good year in Miami last year, and with another offseason in the Miami system he should produce even more. One draw back is that the Dolphins have really taken a liking to the Wildcat offense, which will take the ball out of Pennington's hands every once in a while. Even still, I see pennington having yet another 3,000 yard passing season.

3. Matt Hasselbeck, Sea- Hasselbeck sat out more than half the year last year after getting injured. His receiving corps also suffered the same fate, trying to piece together a squad week in and week out. Now Hasselbeck is healthy, has a healthy receiving corps, and has a new acquisition that will likely make him much improved. That acquisition is of course T.J. Houshmandzadeh. Along with T.J. are Nate Burleson and Deion Branch, who round out Seattles three wide set. Hasselbeck has shown some glimpses of greatness, he led his team to a super bowl, look for him to be back in super bowl form in Seattle this year.

RB:

1. Ryan Grant, GB- Grant is my favorite running back on the year, I have drafted him in more than one fantasy league. The Packers will improve this year, having time to recover from the circus that is Bret Favre. Aaron Rodgers had a pretty god year last year, and I don't think that was a fluke by any means. Greg Jennings and Donald Driver help to spread the field, which will open up the run game for Grant. Grant rushed for over 1,200 yards last year, and can easily do that again this year. He is a young RB with a big upside, he doesn't score a lot of TDs, but look for that to be different this year. Grant is worth picking up as a low end number one or a high end number two guy. He is my sleeper of the year.

2. Kevin Smith, Det- Yes the Lions went 0-16 last season, and yes they had a dismal running game, but look for that to change this season. Detroit is probably not going to win 10 games, and they probably won't make the post season, but they will show marked improvement. Kevin Smith should come out to make a statement early in the season, something to silence the critics perhaps. He has help with receivers Calvin Johnson and Bryant Johnson to stretch the field out a little bit. Also, the Lions may look to ease their rookie quarterback Matthew Stafford into the NFL by having him hand the ball off more frequently than he is going to pass. I don't see Stafford coming out like Matt Ryan did a year ago. Kevin Smith is a good pick up if you can't get him down in the lower rounds.

3. Tim Hightower, Ari- Hightower is fighting for his starting role in Arizona, but even if he doesn't win it, he will still see significant carries. Hightower only started 7 games in Arizona last year, but scored 10 touchdowns. He is the guy who will get the ball in the red zone, and is the guy who will score the TDs when in close. The Cardinals do have a great receiving corps, that can either help or hinder Hightower. But with defenses looking for the Kurt Warner bomb, I think Hightower will benefit. Look for him towards the mid to late rounds of your draft as a low end number 2 RB.

WR:

1. Devin Hester, Chi- Hester has been known pretty much as a Special Teams Specialist since his entrance to the league. The Bears have slowly been working him into the number one receiver slot, and he is finally there. He has a new quarterback to throw to him, Jay Cutler, which has been a questionable position in Chicago for a few years. Hester may not be the tallest number one receiver (only 5-11), but he has the agility and the speed to make up for it. As long as some of the younger receivers on the Bears can step up and open up some options for Cutler, Hester will do fine. Look for him in later round of the draft as a high end number three receiver, but could definitely be more. He should be a starter in any fantasy league.

2. Ted Ginn Jr., Mia- This guy is entering his third season with Miami, the year when most receiver finally breakout. I see him doing the same thing with one of my other sleepers, Chad Pennington. Miami doesn't have the toughest or most talented receiving corps, but the wildcat offense has the ability to confuse any defense. He went from 420 yards two years ago to 790 yards last year. Look for that to jump up another 300 yards this year, putting him into the 1,000 yard club. Ginn is the Dolphin's number guy, and will be targeted quite a bit this season. He is worth a mid round draft pick, and could be the number two starter on any team.

3. Anthony Gonzalez, Ind- The Colts consistently have one of the better offenses in the league, and I don't see it being any different this year with the loss of Harrison. Anthony Gonzalez moves up to the number two slot on the depth chart behind Reggie Wayne. Peyton Manning can throw to anybody, and like Ginn Jr., this is Gonzalez's third year in the league. The Colts have the weapons needed to spread the field, leaving defenses wondering where Manning is going to throw to next. Take Gonzalez with a mid round pick if he is available, he has slowly been gaining stick around fantasy leagues and is being picked higher and higher. He is worth starting in any league as a solid number two guy.

Well there it is. Guys that fly a little bit under the radar, and guys that don't even show up. These are just a few that I thought could have the biggest upside this season, of course there are more sleepers that have potential. So while drafting, be cautious, keep and eye out for the next star, and pick wisely.

Bret Favre Comeback

Today news came that ol' Mr. Favre is most likely to play with the Vikings this year. Not really news, most people had the feeling that he would eventually sign with a team anyways, but still it will grab headlines for the next few days. On the plus side, it will take some of the media attention off of our friend Mike Vick for a few days, something he will need as he starts his career off again. For some reason though, people seem to think that Favre is the answer to the Viking's QB problem. I don't understand it, why people continue following Favre as closely as they do, and think that he is so good at his position. Honestly, this is a guy who only had a 81 passer rating a season ago, and threw as many interceptions as he did touchdowns. 22! That lead the league. Yes Favre did lead the Jets to a 8-3 record last season, but then let all of his playoff hopes slip down the drain with less than anticipated play.

Now with the news that key Vikings players say Favre is "guarenteed" to play with them this year, it leaves the question, "Why?" Why bring in a guy who can either be a valiant leader, or can dismally bring down the team with a greedy 50 yard pass down field that inevitably gets picked. Why bench two near starting caliber quarterbacks? One of which just needs some more experience, that of course being Tavaris Jackson. He is a guy who has showed some glimpses of hope for the Vikings, but as soon as he makes a mistake gets pulled for a dinosaur. The Vikings have a growingly better wide receiver corps, a pro bowl offensive line, stifling defense, and one of the best running backs in the game. It appears as though all they really need is that one guy, the leader, the guy calling the plays. There are two outcomes for the Vikings in this, bring in a guy who has shown he is a leader, a guy who boasts some of the NFL's most prestigious offensive records, but also has the ability to self destruct on the biggest of stages, and looks to be on the downstroke of his career. Or put Sage Rosenfels in until Tavaris Jackson gets back to full strength, then give the young guy a chance to grow and to prove himself, or just keep Sage in. It seems the Vikings have done some thinking about this, and may still not be totally sure about what to do. Hopefully though, they choose to do the right thing, just what that is will be seen around week twelve of the regular season. Until then, we stand by and watch the ever growing circus that is Bret Favre.

Michael Vick Protestors

Today was a day that included a lot of talk about the now notorious Mike Vick. Yes he was involved in dog fighting, yes he was convicted of it, yes it was a shameful thing to have happened to him. But he has done his time, he completed the two year jail sentence, he is trying to work with his local humane societies, and he has made a conscious effort to improve his image and his life. Yet, after being picked up by the Philadelphia Eagles, he arrived to the practice field today to see protestors protesting him. I heard a lot of things today about how Philadelphia in a dog loving city, and how Vick is a "monster." Two things; one, virtually every city in America is a dg loving city, it would not have mattered where he went, he probably would have still faced the same amount of scrutiny as he is in Philly. Two, how exactly is Vick a monster? He has showed remorse, he has done the things that he needed to and looks as though he will continue to do the things he needs to in order to clean up his image. In his press conference prior to being picked up by the Eagles, Vick answered every question asked of him and about him without hesitation. His stood straight faced in front of the media, and made his case, one that sounds convincing enough to viably give him the second chance which he deserves.

I guess the thing that really irritated me about seeing these protestors out front of the practice facility was the fact that they did not look to be fans of the NFL. Rather, they are a handful of middle aged dog owners who care about animals more than sports. That of course is not a bad thing in the least bit, but they are protesting the man's life, his career, his source of income. What would you rather Michael Vick does with his time? Should he continue to be in and out of prison for the rest of his life like some offenders of the penal system? Should he find a job at his local burger joint making $6.50 an hour? What would you protestors rather have him do than play in the NFL. That is what Vick does, that is what he has done his whole life, and it is what he should and is going to continue doing until the end of his career. Vick has a talent that the NFL can prosper from, he is an exciting and interesting person on the field. Vick is going to continue to play in the NFL to the dismay of these protestors, there is nothing they can do to stop it, and they need to see this.

Some of the signs the protestors were holding read: "Hide your Beagle, Vicks an Eagle." Come on now people, are you serious with this? This kind of behavior is pitiful, childish, and needs to be directed somewhere else. There are people who have taken human lives in the NFL, and they have faced less scrutiny than Vick. To sum everything up, Vick has done his time, he has improved his character, and deserves to be given that proverbial second chance.

Red Sox Missing Post Season

Today the Yankees and Redsox played the last game of their series at Yankee Stadium. Andy Pettite pitched a gym allowing only 5 hits and no runs in seven innings. He gave the ball up to Phil Coke in the eighth after only facing one trouble spot in the fourth, leaving the bases loaded when Johnny Damon snared a line drive from Jason Varitek. The Sox had been shut out for 31 straight innings by the Yanks, and were once again looking almost laughable. Until the Sox newest big name addition Victor Martinez ripped a two run shot over the left field wall. That snapped the Sox 31 inning scoreless streak, and put the Sox ahead 2-1. After hitting into two quick outs in the ninth the yankees' Johnny Damon hit his 21st home run of the year to tie the game at 2-2. The next batter Mark Texiera followed that up with a towering shot to the second deck of the porch in right, his 29th of the year, to take the lead in both the game and the Home Run race in the American League. The Yankees then had two more players reach after a walk then a double. Nick Swisher came to the plate and hit a single scoring both runners and putting the Yankees up 5-2, and putting Mariano Rivera in line for the save in the ninth. So with that the Yanks swept their long time rivals and brought the season series to 4 and 8 with the Sox having the better overall. 

This game was significant for both teams. It showed some glaring flaws in the Red Sox offensive production, and showed some gleaming pitching performances for the Yankees. I said about two weeks ago, after seeing the Red Sox lose seven of ten that I think they have a serious chance of missing the playoffs this year. Now that they have lost their last six, and are slumping beyond Red Sox Nation belief, I think my prediction is likely to come true. The Texas Rangers are having a playoff like season, and have been slowly creeping up on the Sox and are now tied for the lead in the wild card. It is almost inevitable that the Red Sox will lose the pennant to the Yankees, and are desperately clinging onto their Wild Card chances. Tampa Bay is only 1.5 games out of the Wild Card, and the quiet but surprising Mariners are keeping their playoff hopes alive after beating the Rays 2 of the last 3 and up to 4.5 back of the Wild Card. The competition in their division and the rest of the league is going to make it hard for the Red Sox, and has me thinking that they just don't have the energy to keep themselves in it for the rest of the year. After winning the World Series two years ago, and being one of the favorites at the beginning of the season, I have the Sox missing the playoffs for only the second time in seven years.