I think at this point we are all well aware of the insane amount of time coaching takes away from my posting. So no apologies, let's just get down to it.
We are almost knee-deep in one of my favorite times of the sporting year, the beginning of spring. It's the one season where all of my sporting loves seem to come together just right. Spring football at the college level. The NFL Draft. March Madness. The stretch run to the Stanley Cup Playoffs. Spring training under the Florida & Arizona sun. The exciting conclusion of the English Premier League season. I don't think there are enough picture-in-picture displays to satisfy my sporting hunger come spring. So let's jump around.
-- The whole Peyton Manning saga intrigues me on a few levels. Of course, there is the obvious. Here is the man who is one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history and perhaps the biggest free agent to ever hit the open market. The records that he has set are too many to list. He single-handedly made the Indianapolis Colts relevant, bringing them unprecedented success on and off the field. But Manning's free agency really shines for one particular reason. Practically every other sport is playing games or matches right now while the NFL won't have any game action until August. Yet in the papers, on television, and all across the internet, the NFL (and Peyton Manning) is the lead story. Even when there is no football being played, the NFL still rules the sporting universe. Unbelievable!
Just like everyone else, I'm quite curious to see where Peyton ends up. There's a lot of push in this area to see the New York Jets make a run at him. Despite Mark Sanchez's struggles (And the fact that it's well-known I'm not exactly his biggest fan), I think the Jets should stick with him. A lot has been made about his regression in his third season but if you look at his numbers compared to Eli Manning's first three NFL seasons, they are actually quite comparable. Now, in no way am I suggesting that Sanchez is going to take a quantum leap to Eli's level of play. However, Sanchez hasn't had a losing season under center, has won four playoff games, and reached the AFC Championship Game twice. That has to count for something. Besides, didn't the Jets learn anything from the whole Brett Favre fiasco back in 2008?
It seems like almost every team in the league is interested in Peyton. Bottom line: He's going to go somewhere he can control the offense, has good receivers, has a strong running game, has a good offensive line to keep him upright, has a tough defense, and has a coach that isn't looking to make headlines all the time. My thoughts: Miami, Arizona, Kansas City (in that order)
-- It has been an absolute joy to watch Syracuse Basketball this season. The 31-2 Orange have set a school record for most wins in a season and a Big East record for most conference wins (17) along with an undefeated season at home in the Dome. Luckily, I was able to get up to the Dome for the SU/UConn game last month and see the Orange pick up the win. This is easily the deepest team head coach Jim Boeheim has ever had in his time on The Hill. It's possible that his second five could start for most other programs in the country. Syracuse should be a #1 seed in the Big Dance, possibly the #2 overall seed. Tonight's performance in the Big East Semis was a bit troublesome though. Cincinnati forced the 'Cuse to the perimeter and (as we've seen in the past) it's not always pretty when Syracuse falls in love with the three. The Orange are tremendous in transition and need to keep that uptempo pace going while gashing inside in the half-court game. I'm sure Jimmy B will get everything squared away for the start of the Big Dance next week and what will hopefully be a return to New Orleans for the Final Four. And we all know what happened the last time the 'Cuse was in New Orleans!
-- I can go on for days about "Jersey's Team" and I have done just that in this very blog but I'll keep it to a few quick notes for now. With 81 points, the Devils have already matched their point total from last season's disappointing year. Rookies Adam Henrique and Adam Larsson are healthy and have done a tremendous job stepping into big roles this year. Ilya Kovalchuk has put the team on his back recently and is lighting the lamp the way we all expected him to when he signed his $100 million deal. David Clarkson has been a goal-scoring surprise. Patrik Elias continues to be a consistent source of points and still remains one of the most underrated forwards in the league. And of course there's still Marty being Marty in goal. The thing that I'm the most excited about is the fact that with Pete DeBoer at the helm it actually looks like we have a system in place that is built for the long haul. Lou and his quick trigger finger when it comes to coaches has been frustrating. It's nice to see a guy who I believe is a great fit for the organization going forward behind the bench and is succeeding in a big way. Hopefully, this will be a sign of great things to come for this season and beyond at "The Rock."
-- Maybe I should be more fired up about the NFL uncovering the New Orleans Saints' bounty program but truth be told, I'm just not incredibly fired up about this. I agree whole-heartedly that paying bonuses to deliberately injure players after the whistle is terrible. It goes against the spirit of the game and good competition. But football is a violent game and I'm not sure if all of the hits in question that have been running on highlight shows recently really fall under the umbrella of this bounty program. I have no doubt that the commissioner will come down much harder on the Saints than he did on the Patriots for Spygate. The penalties are warranted and the idea of turning players into assassins after the whistle is appalling. But in between whistles, defenders are going to do everything they can to hit somebody...as they should.
-- The firing of Andre Villas-Boas highlights what has been a tremendously disappointing season for Chelsea in the EPL. A quick look at the league table and it doesn't seem like the Blues are having a terrible season. But this year has been filled with in-fighting, underperforming stars, and uncharacteristically bad losses. There's still some time left for the Blues to atone for this mess of a season. The new 5-year deal for 24-year-old Brazilian midfielder Ramires and a 2-0 win over Birmingham City to advance to the FA Cup Quarterfinals are two good things to focus on going forward.
One other EPL observation. A few weeks back the Liverpool/Tottenham Hotspur game was on ESPN. I have to give props to Tottenham Hotspur. I don't think I've ever seen such a great display of defensive soccer. The amount of clearances and blocked shots was mind-boggling. The Spurs currently sit in third in the EPL table and if they keep playing defense like that, I have a very hard time seeing them going anywhere but up.
-- WrestleMania XXVIII is just weeks away. John Cena vs. The Rock, Triple H vs. The Undertaker (with Shawn Michaels as guest ref) in Hell in a Cell, & CM Punk vs. Chris Jericho for the WWE Championship highlight the card. I believe the Punk/Jericho match can steal the show. They are two of the best technical wrestlers I've seen in a long time and I can only imagine what the two of them are capable of in the ring together. I have a tremendous amount of respect for both men and am eagerly awaiting their WWE Title match. I'm also beyond thrilled that Punk finally gets to main event the biggest show on the WWE calendar. I will also admit that CM Punk has firmly entrenched himself in the list of my Top 5 favorite wrestlers.
The fact that Triple H is my all-time favorite wrestler is well-documented. Regardless, I'm still not completely thrilled with the fact that he will have a rematch with The Undertaker at 'Mania. I'm further upset by the fact that Shawn Michaels will be the guest referee in this Hell in a Cell match. HBK had two tremendous matches with 'Taker on the 'Mania stage and I would hate to see the legacy of those two contests tainted by his involvement in this contest. Also, for as big of a Triple H fan as I am, I believe the WWE should keep Undertaker's undefeated streak intact, allow him to go 20-0 at 'Mania, and then ride off into the sunset. Two things to keep in mind though: 1) For all the hoopla surrounding The Undertaker and the Hell in a Cell, the harsh reality is that Triple H is the man who has absolutely owned the structure. Triple H's Hell in a Cell record is unparalleled and he owns HIAC victories over Mick Foley, Chris Jericho, & Kevin Nash, just to name a few. 2) Can anyone else see DX reuniting and ending The Streak?
-- I'm impressed with the optimism of New York Mets manager Terry Collins. The financial turmoil surrounding the team isn't exactly a secret. Yet, he has built up tremendous equity in the clubhouse and truly believes the team can contend, even with a reduced payroll and recovering stars. We'll see how optimistic Collins is after the first losing streak of the season finds its way inside the moved-in Citi Field fences.
-- If you're looking for a good read on what is right about college athletics, click on the link for a phenomenal ESPN story on USC quarterback Matt Barkley: http://espn.go.com/college-football/story/_/id/7649001/matt-barkley-happy-return-usc-trojans-college-football
-- Final Thought: Did anyone think that at this point in the NHL season the team with the most points in the league would be the St. Louis Blues?
-- Until next time.
-- Meech
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