The NBA and Lakers are back!
As a Los Angeles Lakers' fan coming off a short summer vacation after his team won their 15th NBA championship, I couldn't wait no longer for the Lakers to start defending their title and attempt to repeat.
It was an amazing sight seeing Derek Fisher and Kobe Bryant receiving their championship rings on opening night, because the down fall they had to suffer after the Shaq/Kobe dynasty crumbled, specially Bryant.
Seeing Bryant take the moment and express to the fans by raising his ring in the air that the hard work has finally paid off was priceless moment for me.
It showed that Bryant and Los Angeles Laker fans have an close bond after being frustrated for seven years to return to the glory days.
After the raising another banner and celebrating the accomplishments of last season, the team started the new season defending the title against the dysfunctional Los Angeles Clippers minus their overall No. 1 pick Blake Griffin.
Minus Pau Gasol and newly Laker Ron Artest, the Lakers battled a tight game with a Clippers team that kept coming back from behind, but the Lakers took control of the game in the fouth quater to win the game 99-92.
Gasol who is out with a stain hamstring is expected to return soon, but the Lakers say it's nothing to be worried about.
But Hall-of-Famer and retired Laker James Worthy says that a "strain Hammy" is code for a small rip in the muscle.
Whatever the injury is... Laker fans just wish Gasol a speedy recovery and hope he comes back 100% because with all the weapons the Lakers have, we can survive without Gasol for awhile.
So let the new season begin and as long as the Lakers play there game and stay healthy then without no doubt the team can repeat as champions.
Let's go Lakers!
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Saturday, October 24, 2009
Week 7 Predictions
Alright so last week i went a disappointing 7-7 on my picks so maybe i'll have some better luck this time.
Green bay at Cleveland: One team has been playing well, the other has not. GB wins.
San Fran at Houston: Houston shocked us all when they took down the Bengals. You can't expect them to be consistent though. Frisco does have a new weapon they've been needing in Crabtree. Frisco wins.
SD at KC: San Diego has been a major disappointment this year but i think they can pull one out over an even more disappointing KC. SD wins.
Minn at Pitt: One of the most exciting games to watch this week. If Troy P. is healthy again he could be the key in a Pitt win at home. Pitt wins.
Indi at St. Louis: the colts just coming off a bye week are on a mission to prove their the top team this year. Indi wins.
NE at TB: Tampa Bay still looking for that first win. It won't come this week. NE wins.
Buffalo at Carolina: Carolina, off a fresh win at Tampa takes on Buff who just beat the Jets last week. I'm giving it to the home team. Car wins.
NYJ at OAK: The Jets have had a few rough weeks but they wont suffer the same fate the philly had against OAK last week. Jets win.
Chi at Cin: A lot of trash talking between Chad Ochocinco and Jay Cutler. Cutler though has had a massive inability to perform in the red zone. Cin wins.
ATL at Dal: Atlanta hasn't lost since week 3. Dallas has barley been winning games against week teams. Atl wins.
NO at MIA: Its hard to not root for the Saints after what they did to the Giants last week. Mia wins.
Ari at NYG: Arizona will be without one of their best receivers and the Giants are looking to rebound from an embarrassing loss. NYG wins.
MNF Phil at Wash: After losing to KC last week, Wash definitely had some serious problems. Same can be said for phil but they tend to perform well coming off losses. Phil wins.
There's 13 games this week i'm going for a 10-3 this time around. Lets see what happens.
Green bay at Cleveland: One team has been playing well, the other has not. GB wins.
San Fran at Houston: Houston shocked us all when they took down the Bengals. You can't expect them to be consistent though. Frisco does have a new weapon they've been needing in Crabtree. Frisco wins.
SD at KC: San Diego has been a major disappointment this year but i think they can pull one out over an even more disappointing KC. SD wins.
Minn at Pitt: One of the most exciting games to watch this week. If Troy P. is healthy again he could be the key in a Pitt win at home. Pitt wins.
Indi at St. Louis: the colts just coming off a bye week are on a mission to prove their the top team this year. Indi wins.
NE at TB: Tampa Bay still looking for that first win. It won't come this week. NE wins.
Buffalo at Carolina: Carolina, off a fresh win at Tampa takes on Buff who just beat the Jets last week. I'm giving it to the home team. Car wins.
NYJ at OAK: The Jets have had a few rough weeks but they wont suffer the same fate the philly had against OAK last week. Jets win.
Chi at Cin: A lot of trash talking between Chad Ochocinco and Jay Cutler. Cutler though has had a massive inability to perform in the red zone. Cin wins.
ATL at Dal: Atlanta hasn't lost since week 3. Dallas has barley been winning games against week teams. Atl wins.
NO at MIA: Its hard to not root for the Saints after what they did to the Giants last week. Mia wins.
Ari at NYG: Arizona will be without one of their best receivers and the Giants are looking to rebound from an embarrassing loss. NYG wins.
MNF Phil at Wash: After losing to KC last week, Wash definitely had some serious problems. Same can be said for phil but they tend to perform well coming off losses. Phil wins.
There's 13 games this week i'm going for a 10-3 this time around. Lets see what happens.
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Week 6 Predictions
So I figured the Dodgers weren't worth writing about since they gave up 8 runs tonight against the phillies, I guess I'll do some NFL week 6 predictions. So umm.. here it goes.
Houston at Cincinnati - Cincy is 4-0 ever since that tipped pass that let the Broncos steal the win against Cincy in week 1. Carson Palmer is firing on all cylinders and with a receiver like Chad Ochocinco, it's not easy to stop. Cincy wins.
Detroit at Green Bay - Aaron Rodgers is definitely a QB that will do things in this league. He'll have fun playing around against this Detroit defense. Matthew Stafford isn't 100% and they don't really have much else to offer. Green Bay wins.
St. Louis at Jacksonville - Could be one of the dullest games this week, and probably a black-out to the city of Jacksonville. But David Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew both seem to be playing up to par lately. The Lambs are still fighting with Tenn and KC for the league's worst record. Jacksonville wins.
Baltimore at Minnesota - One of the four more exciting games this week. Minnesota is 5-0, Baltimore has lost it's last two games, all momentum is going to the vikings. The Raven's defense, who gave up over 100 rush yards last week for the first time in over a year, will definitely be looking to stop Adrian Peterson. But don't sleep on Brett Farve, he's looking like he looked in the old Packer days. Minnesota wins.
NY Giants at New Orleans - Another exciting game, a battle of undefeated teams. NO just came off a bye week so they should be well rested. The G-men just played the Raiders, so they should be well rested. Two great teams with explosive offenses and defenses. New York's defense, just a little bit better, and defense wins games. Also Eli's proven he can grind it out in tough games, lets remember a certain Super Bowl about two years ago. Giants Win
Cleveland at Pittsburgh - The Browns know this season is wasted they should be focusing less on Pittsburgh and more on their QB issues. The Steelers took care of Detroit last week and they'll do the same to Cleveland this week. Pittsburgh wins.
Carolina at Tampa Bay - I have Tampa picked to be this seasons Lions, and when I say that I mean they will go 0-16 for the year. This may be their best chance to prove me wrong against a very disappointing Panthers team, but not likely. Carolina Wins.
Kansas City at Washington - Washington has to many personal problems for a team with a 2-3 record. I say the skins pull out a win for coach Zorn. Matt Cassel will struggle against this Washington Defense who ranks third in pass defense. Washington wins.
Philadelphia at Oakland - Are you serious? One of leagues most exciting, explosive teams against the team that gave the Giants a scrimmage according to Giant's linebacker Antonio Pierce. Philly wins.
Arizona at Seattle - This should be a good game between two AFC west rivals. We're not close to seeing the same Cardinals we saw last year in the playoffs and the Seahawks are playing well when Hasselbeck is healthy. Seattle wins.
Tennessee at New England - The Titans rank 29th in points allowed and 31th in pass yards allowed. Bill Belichick is looking to take out the frustration of losing to his former pupil on someone. It's gonna be a Titan bloodshed all over Foxborough. Pats win.
Buffalo at NY Jets - Buffalo has nothing to look forward to. They should worry about getting T.O. out of there, maybe getting a few picks for him. Meanwhile the Jets, despite their loss to the Wildcats last week, still have one of the top Defenses in the league and QB Mark Sanchez just keeps getting better each week, especially now with his new weapon Braylon Edwards. Jets win.
Chicago at Atlanta - Another game I'm really looking forward to watching this week. Jay Cutler and the Bears have been unstoppable after being stomped by Green Bay in week one. Atlanta, another 3-1 team, is definitely up there with this years contenders, and Matt Ryan seems to have not heard of the so-called sophomore slump because he is playing great this season, especially now that Tony Gonzalez is part of that unit. This is probably one of the hardest games to call for me, so I'm going with home field advantage. Falcons win.
Monday Night: Denver at San Diego - Denver proved they can play with the big dogs when they took down the Patriots last week. Let see how they do on the road against their hated rivals, the San Diego Chargers, at Qualcomm Stadium. Their last game at Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers absolutely destroyed the Broncos 52-21. Chargers are still out to prove that they are a top AFC contender. Chargers win.
Lets see how it goes.
Houston at Cincinnati - Cincy is 4-0 ever since that tipped pass that let the Broncos steal the win against Cincy in week 1. Carson Palmer is firing on all cylinders and with a receiver like Chad Ochocinco, it's not easy to stop. Cincy wins.
Detroit at Green Bay - Aaron Rodgers is definitely a QB that will do things in this league. He'll have fun playing around against this Detroit defense. Matthew Stafford isn't 100% and they don't really have much else to offer. Green Bay wins.
St. Louis at Jacksonville - Could be one of the dullest games this week, and probably a black-out to the city of Jacksonville. But David Garrard and Maurice Jones-Drew both seem to be playing up to par lately. The Lambs are still fighting with Tenn and KC for the league's worst record. Jacksonville wins.
Baltimore at Minnesota - One of the four more exciting games this week. Minnesota is 5-0, Baltimore has lost it's last two games, all momentum is going to the vikings. The Raven's defense, who gave up over 100 rush yards last week for the first time in over a year, will definitely be looking to stop Adrian Peterson. But don't sleep on Brett Farve, he's looking like he looked in the old Packer days. Minnesota wins.
NY Giants at New Orleans - Another exciting game, a battle of undefeated teams. NO just came off a bye week so they should be well rested. The G-men just played the Raiders, so they should be well rested. Two great teams with explosive offenses and defenses. New York's defense, just a little bit better, and defense wins games. Also Eli's proven he can grind it out in tough games, lets remember a certain Super Bowl about two years ago. Giants Win
Cleveland at Pittsburgh - The Browns know this season is wasted they should be focusing less on Pittsburgh and more on their QB issues. The Steelers took care of Detroit last week and they'll do the same to Cleveland this week. Pittsburgh wins.
Carolina at Tampa Bay - I have Tampa picked to be this seasons Lions, and when I say that I mean they will go 0-16 for the year. This may be their best chance to prove me wrong against a very disappointing Panthers team, but not likely. Carolina Wins.
Kansas City at Washington - Washington has to many personal problems for a team with a 2-3 record. I say the skins pull out a win for coach Zorn. Matt Cassel will struggle against this Washington Defense who ranks third in pass defense. Washington wins.
Philadelphia at Oakland - Are you serious? One of leagues most exciting, explosive teams against the team that gave the Giants a scrimmage according to Giant's linebacker Antonio Pierce. Philly wins.
Arizona at Seattle - This should be a good game between two AFC west rivals. We're not close to seeing the same Cardinals we saw last year in the playoffs and the Seahawks are playing well when Hasselbeck is healthy. Seattle wins.
Tennessee at New England - The Titans rank 29th in points allowed and 31th in pass yards allowed. Bill Belichick is looking to take out the frustration of losing to his former pupil on someone. It's gonna be a Titan bloodshed all over Foxborough. Pats win.
Buffalo at NY Jets - Buffalo has nothing to look forward to. They should worry about getting T.O. out of there, maybe getting a few picks for him. Meanwhile the Jets, despite their loss to the Wildcats last week, still have one of the top Defenses in the league and QB Mark Sanchez just keeps getting better each week, especially now with his new weapon Braylon Edwards. Jets win.
Chicago at Atlanta - Another game I'm really looking forward to watching this week. Jay Cutler and the Bears have been unstoppable after being stomped by Green Bay in week one. Atlanta, another 3-1 team, is definitely up there with this years contenders, and Matt Ryan seems to have not heard of the so-called sophomore slump because he is playing great this season, especially now that Tony Gonzalez is part of that unit. This is probably one of the hardest games to call for me, so I'm going with home field advantage. Falcons win.
Monday Night: Denver at San Diego - Denver proved they can play with the big dogs when they took down the Patriots last week. Let see how they do on the road against their hated rivals, the San Diego Chargers, at Qualcomm Stadium. Their last game at Qualcomm Stadium, the Chargers absolutely destroyed the Broncos 52-21. Chargers are still out to prove that they are a top AFC contender. Chargers win.
Lets see how it goes.
Sunday, October 11, 2009
Nascar adds Fontana in Sprint Cup Chase
Jimmie Johnson wins the California Auto Club 500 in Fontana, CA and takes a 12 point lead in the Sprint Cup Chase.
Johnson who had a strong car all day battled with teammate Jeff Gordon in the final laps to win a race that had four caution flags in the final 50 laps after only having two in over 200 laps.
The California Auto Club Speedway was finally added to the Sprint Cup Chase and switched spots with the Atlanta Motor Speedway to be one of the 10 race tracks that the 12 drives in the chase race at.
Normally the California Auto Club hosts two Nascar weekend events in February and September, but this year they got the chance to host a race in the chase.
Six races are left in the chase and Jimmie Johnson looks to make more history as he will attempt to win his four consecutive Sprint Cup.
Johnson who had a strong car all day battled with teammate Jeff Gordon in the final laps to win a race that had four caution flags in the final 50 laps after only having two in over 200 laps.
The California Auto Club Speedway was finally added to the Sprint Cup Chase and switched spots with the Atlanta Motor Speedway to be one of the 10 race tracks that the 12 drives in the chase race at.
Normally the California Auto Club hosts two Nascar weekend events in February and September, but this year they got the chance to host a race in the chase.
Six races are left in the chase and Jimmie Johnson looks to make more history as he will attempt to win his four consecutive Sprint Cup.
Dodgers, Angels sweeping to the Championships
On paper they were under dogs but in a fans view they had the better team. Now they stunned the experts who had them out in the first rounds.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels sweep their respective series' and are now in their respective league's championship series.
The Dodgers who overcame two CY Young candidates; Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright and had a lucky brake in Game 2 when left fielder Matt Holliday dropped the game winning out for the St. Louis Cardinals that should have had the series going back to St. Louis 1-1.
Experts had the Dodgers losing in four games because of the Cardinals starting pitchers, but the Dodgers picked a part Carpenter in Game 1 and was patient to battle off Wainwright's strong pitching until the eighth and ninth innings when they started their comeback and took both games in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers did not stop the roll on the Cardinals as they didn't want to press their luck facing Carpenter and Wainwright again in Games 4 and 5, as they beat the Cardinals 5-1 in Game 3 to take the series in three.
They now await the winner of the Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies series.
The Angels had so much against them as they faced the Boston Red Sox once again in the first round. The past was not on the Angels side as they had lost three times to the Red Sox in the first round.
They did not let that stop them as they shut out the Red Sox in Game 1 and won Game 2 to take both in Anaheim.
As the Red Sox had a 5-2 lead in Game 3, it look as if the Red Sox will comeback in the series. But will a rally by the Angels they came back in the eighth inning with three runs and another two in the ninth to sweep the Red Sox.
They now will face the talented New York Yankees, as the Yanks sweep the Minnesota Twins after the Twins rallied back to win their division against the Detroit Tigers a week earlier.
The idea of a freeway World Series against the Dodgers and Angels begin to become a reality every day now.
The Los Angeles Dodgers and Angels sweep their respective series' and are now in their respective league's championship series.
The Dodgers who overcame two CY Young candidates; Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright and had a lucky brake in Game 2 when left fielder Matt Holliday dropped the game winning out for the St. Louis Cardinals that should have had the series going back to St. Louis 1-1.
Experts had the Dodgers losing in four games because of the Cardinals starting pitchers, but the Dodgers picked a part Carpenter in Game 1 and was patient to battle off Wainwright's strong pitching until the eighth and ninth innings when they started their comeback and took both games in Los Angeles.
The Dodgers did not stop the roll on the Cardinals as they didn't want to press their luck facing Carpenter and Wainwright again in Games 4 and 5, as they beat the Cardinals 5-1 in Game 3 to take the series in three.
They now await the winner of the Colorado Rockies and Philadelphia Phillies series.
The Angels had so much against them as they faced the Boston Red Sox once again in the first round. The past was not on the Angels side as they had lost three times to the Red Sox in the first round.
They did not let that stop them as they shut out the Red Sox in Game 1 and won Game 2 to take both in Anaheim.
As the Red Sox had a 5-2 lead in Game 3, it look as if the Red Sox will comeback in the series. But will a rally by the Angels they came back in the eighth inning with three runs and another two in the ninth to sweep the Red Sox.
They now will face the talented New York Yankees, as the Yanks sweep the Minnesota Twins after the Twins rallied back to win their division against the Detroit Tigers a week earlier.
The idea of a freeway World Series against the Dodgers and Angels begin to become a reality every day now.
Mexico shoots into the World Cup
The Mexican National soccer team qualifies a spot in the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa in a easy 4-1 victory over El Savador.
Players excited for the success that has led them to the big soccer tournament, fans excited and proud of the quick turn around and coach Javier Aguirre applaud for his great coaching to lead the team back to success.
Those were the sights and sounds seen and heard after Mexico qualifies for a the World Cup and beats their rivals El Savador at Estadio Aztec on Oct. 10.
With a 1-0 lead in the second half after El Savador scored an own goal for Mexico in the first half, Mexican forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco scores off a cross from Guillermo Franco and celebrates the goal by hugging coach Aguirre.
Later Blanco was substituted for Francisco 'Paco' Palencia, the former soccer player who returned from retirement after Aguirre asked him to return to the team.
Palencia got the chance to join the success as he blasted in the third goal for Mexico and later thanked coach for giving him a chance to play again.
El Salvador did not let Mexico shut them out, as they scored off a free kick from outside the penalty box.
With a spot secured for South Africa and a party starting, Mexico finished the game with a spectacular play.
As goal keeper Guillermo Ochoa kicked a goal kick near the El Salvador's penalty box, an Salvadorian defender headed the ball toward Mexican forward Carlos Vela as he kicked in the ball past the Salvadorian goalie for the Mexicans fourth goal of the match.
The four qualifying wins to bring the Mexicans back to the World Cup and the Gold Cup 5-0 victory over the United States back in July were all won by the great coaching of Aguirre.
Brought back after coach Hugo Sanchez disappointed Mexico, he has turned the team around dramatically.
He gave the young players like Vela and Giovanni Dos Santos the confidence they needed and has given the whole team new life.
Loved by the Mexican people and players, he is definitely one of the greatest soccer coaches in Mexico and could be in the world.
With the impressive victories the Mexicans have had in the last four months; they are seen to possibly making some noise next year in the World Cup.
Mexico finishes the qualifying matches Wendesday as they play Trindad and Tobago, as they will try to finish first in their division if the U.S. does not win their final game against Costa Rica.
Players excited for the success that has led them to the big soccer tournament, fans excited and proud of the quick turn around and coach Javier Aguirre applaud for his great coaching to lead the team back to success.
Those were the sights and sounds seen and heard after Mexico qualifies for a the World Cup and beats their rivals El Savador at Estadio Aztec on Oct. 10.
With a 1-0 lead in the second half after El Savador scored an own goal for Mexico in the first half, Mexican forward Cuauhtémoc Blanco scores off a cross from Guillermo Franco and celebrates the goal by hugging coach Aguirre.
Later Blanco was substituted for Francisco 'Paco' Palencia, the former soccer player who returned from retirement after Aguirre asked him to return to the team.
Palencia got the chance to join the success as he blasted in the third goal for Mexico and later thanked coach for giving him a chance to play again.
El Salvador did not let Mexico shut them out, as they scored off a free kick from outside the penalty box.
With a spot secured for South Africa and a party starting, Mexico finished the game with a spectacular play.
As goal keeper Guillermo Ochoa kicked a goal kick near the El Salvador's penalty box, an Salvadorian defender headed the ball toward Mexican forward Carlos Vela as he kicked in the ball past the Salvadorian goalie for the Mexicans fourth goal of the match.
The four qualifying wins to bring the Mexicans back to the World Cup and the Gold Cup 5-0 victory over the United States back in July were all won by the great coaching of Aguirre.
Brought back after coach Hugo Sanchez disappointed Mexico, he has turned the team around dramatically.
He gave the young players like Vela and Giovanni Dos Santos the confidence they needed and has given the whole team new life.
Loved by the Mexican people and players, he is definitely one of the greatest soccer coaches in Mexico and could be in the world.
With the impressive victories the Mexicans have had in the last four months; they are seen to possibly making some noise next year in the World Cup.
Mexico finishes the qualifying matches Wendesday as they play Trindad and Tobago, as they will try to finish first in their division if the U.S. does not win their final game against Costa Rica.
Friday, October 9, 2009
Too soon to decide quailifiers
It's that time again, the FIFA qualifiers to continue.
With two games left in the North, Central America and Caribbean group, the group is tight for now as the United States leads Mexico, Honduras and Costa Rica all within four points.
As U.S has the hardest remaining schedule as their two games are against Honduras and Costa Rica, who are desperate for points, well playing the first game in Honduras.
Mexico will be without young all-star Giovanni Dos Santos for their remaining two games as they will host El Salvador in Mexico and add to the brutal rivalry these countries have with each other.
Costa Rica will have a chance to bounce back with a game against last place Trinidad and Tobago.
Anything can happen as these teams can change their chances of making the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa at any second of their remaining two games.
Current standings:
1- U.S.A: 5-1-2, 16 points
2- Mexico: 5-0-3, 15 points
3- Honduras: 4-1-3, 13 points
4- Costa Rica: 4-0-4, 12 points
5- El Salvador; 2-2-4, 8 points
6- Trinidad and Tobago; 1-2-5. 5 points
With two games left in the North, Central America and Caribbean group, the group is tight for now as the United States leads Mexico, Honduras and Costa Rica all within four points.
As U.S has the hardest remaining schedule as their two games are against Honduras and Costa Rica, who are desperate for points, well playing the first game in Honduras.
Mexico will be without young all-star Giovanni Dos Santos for their remaining two games as they will host El Salvador in Mexico and add to the brutal rivalry these countries have with each other.
Costa Rica will have a chance to bounce back with a game against last place Trinidad and Tobago.
Anything can happen as these teams can change their chances of making the FIFA 2010 World Cup in South Africa at any second of their remaining two games.
Current standings:
1- U.S.A: 5-1-2, 16 points
2- Mexico: 5-0-3, 15 points
3- Honduras: 4-1-3, 13 points
4- Costa Rica: 4-0-4, 12 points
5- El Salvador; 2-2-4, 8 points
6- Trinidad and Tobago; 1-2-5. 5 points
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