Bull Fighting in Boston

I don’t know about you, but I cannot get enough of this Bulls/Celtics series! This is a first round match-up, and I feel like I’m watching game seven of the championship series every time these two teams take the court. It’s phenomenal Basketball.

A couple of posts ago I gave my NBA playoff picks, and I had Boston beating Chicago to move on to the second round. I have to be honest: I’m really pulling for the Bulls to take this round. I think that this Bulls team is the embodiment of why people love sports. They have the will, the desire, the heart, and the skill to take on the role of underdog, and eliminate the defending champions in the first round. What a story that would be. Chicago has not been an NBA contender since the days of Jordan and Pippen; and I think that this season marks the beginning of a new championship era in Bulls’ history.

People say, “Oh…well what about KG? If he were playing, Chicago wouldn’t have a chance.” To those I say, “Who cares.” The reality is this: Kevin Garnett is not playing, nor will he. On top of that, I don’t think that one player makes a championship team, and if Boston can’t win without him then they don’t deserve to make it past the first round. Championship rosters are deep, and when a star player falls there must be someone in that locker room to step up his game, and fill the void.

So, major props to the Bulls, and I am looking forward to the Bulls / Magic face-off (though if I were the Magic, I would be far more worried about matching up against Chicago than Boston).

Draft Reflections

In my estimation, there were two clear winners in this year’s draft: the Jets and the Eagles. The Jets got, in my opinion, a future star quarterback along with a great backfield threat in Greene. Though I don't think that they will be a playoff threat this year, they are definitely on their way in the coming seasons.

The Eagles were clearly out to give Donavan McNabb some early Christmas presents. With the newly shored up offense, I think that the Eagles have officially placed their name in the Super Bowl contender hat.

On the other hand, the draft had two very clear losers: the Raiders and the Vikings. Why in the world would anyone draft Heyward-Bey when Michael Crabtree is still on the board? Oh…right… because Al Davis is senile, and won’t sit down, shut up, and let his coaching staff do their job.

As far as the Vikings are concerned, I fully expect to see them in the headlines for all the wrong reasons. I get that you need receivers, but do you really need Percy Harvin? This is a guy who failed the drug test at the combine. That’s right- at the combine- when you know it’s coming. It’s not like he didn’t know when and where he was going to be tested months beforehand. That tells me one of two things: either he’s a flat out idiot, or he’s completely addicted. Either way, I don’t want him on my team.

The Detroit Lions Select...?

With the NFL Draft only three days away, the speculation continues to mount as to the best course of action for the 0-16 Detroit Lions. Should they take Stafford? Should they set their sights on Jason Smith to shore up their offensive line? Should they go in another direction all together? Though the majority of mock boards have Stafford going first to Detroit and Smith going second to St. Louis, I hope (for the sake of the Lions) that Detroit thinks this through a bit more before Saturday.

The first overall draft pick is a big investment, and when that first pick is a quarterback it becomes even more of a blow to a team’s salary cap. If you hit, and the quarterback becomes the next Peyton Manning, you’re sitting pretty. If you miss, and your quarterback becomes the next JaMarcus Russell, you've just destroyed your franchise for the next five years.

So, what’s the solution? Simple, the Detroit Lions have a workable quarterback in Daunte Culpepper, but they need help protecting him. Go for the left tackle. Do not gamble on a quarterback. Stafford was a good college player- not a great college player- and certainly not someone who justifies the paycheck that goes with being the first overall pick.

The Lions need help on the O-line, and Jason Smith is a much better business decision than Matthew Stafford. The choice is clear. Besides, I don’t care if Stafford turns out to be a Hall of Fame quarterback; it’s really hard to complete passes while you’re lying on your back.

Mr. Will's NBA Playoff Picks

Western Conference

1st Round
- Lakers / Jazz
- Trail Blazers / Rockets
- Spurs / Mavericks
- Nuggets / Hornets

2nd Round
- Lakers / Trail Blazers
- Spurs / Nuggets

Conference Final
- Lakers / Spurs


Eastern Conference

1st Round
- Cavaliers / Pistons
- Hawks / Heat
- Magic / 76ers
- Celtics / Bulls

2nd Round
- Cavaliers / Hawks
- Magic / Celtics

Conference Final
- Magic / Cavaliers


NBA Championship
- Lakers / Cavaliers

NBA Champion
-Cavaliers

Mr. Will's MLB Picks

AL East: Rays

AL Central: White Sox

AL West: Angels

AL Wildcard: Red Sox

NL East: Marlins

NL Central: Cubs

NL West: Dodgers

NL Wildcard: Cardinals

AL Champion: Rays

NL Champion: Cubs

World Series Champion: Rays

Reflections on the Masters

Angel: Congratulations! Even though I wasn’t rooting for you (at all), you made it happen. You didn’t shoot the best four rounds, but you made the shots that you had to make.

Kenny: I was pulling for you, and you let me down. You have got to be able to finish. Those bogeys at the end were all pressure shots: those are the shots you have to make, and on any other day they would have been no problem for you. Eyes on the prize, focus on the game, block out the pressure, get the job done, and finish the game!

Phil: Perhaps I would care about your performance a bit more if you cared a bit more. Yeah…you beat Tiger… woo freaking hoo! You lost the tournament. You weren’t out there to beat Tiger; you were out there to get a new green jacket, and you didn’t. Doesn’t that bother you…even a little bit? People get behind the guy who wants to compete, the guy who pours all of himself into the tournament, the guy who cares whether or not he comes out on top, and if he does lose he wants to tear up the clubhouse after the final round. Apparently that guy is not you.

Tiger: You are the competitor that Phil is not. You had an off tournament this time, but you are on the rise again.

Shingo: I love the hat!

Who Will Master the Masters?

The Masters is underway, and the burning question is: Tiger or the field? Now, although I would expand that a bit to: Tiger, Phil, Padraig, or the field; I believe that ultimately it will come down to the player with the best iron work.

The greens of Augusta are some of the most unforgiving greens on the tour schedule with their hard breaks and changing elevations. This being said, everyone automatically jumps to putting as the be-all, end-all of conquering this course.

I understand that if you can’t putt, you can’t win; but in the case of Augusta I think that smart ball placement on the green could save a lot of strokes. Being in a position to putt a twelve footer uphill, on this course, may be better than having to putt a six footer downhill. Hence, these guys need to make great friends with their irons.

So, who will take home the green jacket? I’m going with Tiger. I think he will average 70 per day, and 280 will be strong enough to take the tournament.

The NCAA Basketball National Championship: Three Hours I'll Never Get Back

The NCAA men’s basketball national championship: wow…what an utter disappointment that was. That never even tried to be a game. After the first five minutes of the game I found myself thinking, “you know…I bet there are some really funny Family Guy reruns on right about now,” and by halftime I was ready to pacify my boredom by reading passages from the Dictionary. This was the most anti-climactic championship game that I have ever seen.

I am so disappointed, in fact, that I can’t even write anymore. So I will leave you with Mike Bianchi, of The Orlando Sentinel, who put it best in an article published this morning:

“Mercifully and finally, the worst NCAA Tournament I can ever remember is now dead and done.
If this had been a home loan, America would have walked out on it and the bank would have been forced to foreclose.
This wasn't the Big Dance; it was the Big Disappointment.
March Madness?
This was March Badness at its most mundane and mediocre. There were very few upsets, too many blowouts and hardly any drama. The last time I watched a sporting event so devoid of excitement, the Magic took Reece Gaines with the 15th pick of the 2003 NBA draft.”

Detroit: Home Sweet Home

March Madness is coming to an end tonight, and it all comes down to Michigan State and North Carolina. Under normal circumstances, Carolina would be a lock. They are clearly the most talented team in college basketball; and boasting the deepest roster, one would have to be a couple cans short of a six-pack to even think about betting against this legendary basketball university, right? Not so fast. Do not forget that this year’s national championship will feature Michigan State playing in Detroit (about an hour and a half drive from the Spartan’s campus): and that could make all the difference.

I have always said that home court advantage, in college sports, can make or break a team. Let’s face it; these are kids, not pros. At the NBA level, these athletes are playing for millions of dollars, endorsement deals, and long-term contracts: they are professionals. This is what they do. An arena full of booing fans, and five-hundred spirit sticks waving behind the backboard during free throws should not amount to jack to these elite athletes. However, throw a bunch of 18-22 year olds into the same situation, and you are in for some major mental breakdowns.

I am going with a Michigan State upset tonight for that simple reason. Home court advantage matters in college sports. Ford Field will be a sea of green tonight, and the remnant of the Tar Heel fan will be thoroughly lost.

Pressure Cooking in Denver

For the first time in NFL history; a rookie coach, who inherited a pro-bowl, potential franchise quarterback just entering his prime, decides to trade said quarterback.

The immature fiasco that is the Denver Broncos finally decide to give in to the demands of quarterback Jay Cutler and trade him to the Chicago Bears in exchange for Kyle Orton and two first-round (and one third round) draft picks. So the burning question is: who is under more pressure to succeed in this upcoming NFL season?

The answer is simple. Josh McDaniels has just thrown himself into the proverbial pressure cooker. A 32 year old, rookie head coach would generally have somewhat of a “honeymoon period” to build his team, compete, and develop his own style. However, any grace goes thoroughly out the window when his first major move as head coach is to trade his pro-bowl quarterback. When you mismanage a situation such as the Cutler ordeal, you had better be right. He has to produce. If Orton has an off year it is absolutely McDaniels’ head on the chopping block because he had every opportunity to resolve this situation before it came to trading Jay Cutler.

As for Cutler, he can chalk up any potential shortcomings to “learning the playbook” or “assimilating into a new offensive system.” Despite Chicago’s high hopes of deep playoff contention or possible Super Bowl (this is the first potential franchise quarterback since Jim McMahon after all), I think they will be more than willing to give him a season to get acclimated. Besides, it’s not like Cutler is coming into an explosive offense. He is now the pro-bowl quarterback who has to throw to third string receivers at best. Sorry Jay, but your cannon arm doesn’t mean much when you’re handing off 30 plays a game.

So basically, Cutler, regardless of the fact that he went to Chicago on his trike with his blankey firmly in tow, is sitting on not only a grace period, but a potentially fat contract at the conclusion of the upcoming season; while Josh McDaniels is officially coaching for his job.

Congratulations Baby Jay: you win. You found someone to stroke your ego, while at the same time thoroughly screwing your previous Denver teammates.