Nets Fire Head Coach Avery Johnson Where Does Brooklyn Go From Here

All Star and Olympic point guard Deron Williams once didn't see eye to eye with Jerry Sloan while in Utah. Many insiders believe Williams was the reason Sloan retired from coaching a few years ago. Fast forward to Brooklyn the Nets 1st season in the burrough, now Avery Johnson has be relieved of his coach duties. PJ Carlesimo has taken over on an interim basis. Since last week firing the nets have won their last two games to get over .500. Williams was the 1st to say his hands are clean and if management asked him about Avery, he would say Johnson should stay. Williams earlier in the month of December said he was struggling offensively due to Johnson offensive style. Clearly with a new building the Barclay Center and additions like Joe Johnson their are high expectations for these Nets. Let's see who will become the head coach and how the team will respond going forward. Ultimately it comes down to can they compete with the likes of Miami, during the NBA Playoffs.

LA Clippers 15 Game Winning Streak And Counting

2012-13 LA Clippers are streaking ! Led by All Star point guard Chris Paul the Clippers have ripped up 15 straight wins at the time of this article and have the NBA's best record. Meanwhile their cross town rivals are currently a .500 team. Back in the 2007-08 NBA season the Houston Rockets won 22 consecutive games only to exit the NBA Playoffs in round one. During the Clippers current winning streak most victories have been by double digits. At this paste can the Clippers compete with the likes of Oklahoma City, San Antonio, Memphis, Lakers and other Western Conference foes come playoff time ? Can Chris Paul lead the Clippers to the NBA Finals ? Obviously as be approach January it's plenty of basketball left to be played, so only time will tell. This team loves to run in transition and during the postseason it's more of a half court grind it out style, especially with each passing round. Nevertheless the Clippers has the NBA's attention. Let the good times roll !

Khalif Wyatt & Anthony Lee Career High Leads Temple Over #3 Syracuse At MSG

Coming off a brutal home loss vs. Canisius where Temple blew a lead they would travel to New York City for the Gotham City Classic. The opponent waiting for them 3rd ranked and 10-0 Syracuse. The Orange in their previous game, gave head coach Jim Boeheim his 900th career victory. Early on vs. Temple holding a double digit lead it looked like Syracuse would give him 901. Not so fast aided by Wyatt 1st half which keep the Owls in the game offensively and only down two at halftime. Temple got key 1st and 2nd half 3 point shooting from Jack O'Brien and Scottie Randall both players hit 2 critical 3's apiece before halftime and late in the game. Rahlir Hollis-Jefferson kept balls alive on the offensive glass throughout the game. Anthony Lee was a force inside with 21 points a career high. Syracuse going forward must shoot better on the free line, which hurt them vs. Temple especially point guard Michael Carter-Williams 6/15 from the stripe. Temple last season upset Duke and the list goes on and on over the past 5 seasons of top ten opponents that they have victories over.

Cowboys For The 4th Time Since 2008 Decide Their Playoff Fate In Week 17 vs. Redskins NFC East Championship Game

During NFL Week 16 RG3 returned to action as Washington went on the road to beat Philadelphia. Meanwhile at home Tony Romo and the Cowboys would go down in defeat vs. New Orleans in overtime. NBC will flex the regular season finale at FedEx Field between the Cowboys and Indians for the NFC East title which includes a 1st round home game. Here's the scenario, even if Washington goes down they have a chance to make the postseason as a Wildcard. Dallas 1st playoff game begins in Landover,MD Sunday night because if they lose they are eliminated. Washington went into Arlington,TX on Thanksgiving and took care of Dallas. Can they do it again ? Since 2008 Dallas playoff or division title fate has been decided on the season last day. In 2008 they were blown out in Philadelphia and didn't make the playoffs. In 2009 Dallas got revenge and blew Philadelphia out winning the division. In 2011 same situation as this season, on the road vs. Giants during Sunday Night football for division title and Dallas did not win. Will history repeat itself or will the Cowboys win the division ?

Bengals Eliminate Steelers In Pittsburgh AFC Playoffs 6 Teams Are Set

Cincinnati will be going to the playoffs in back to back years for the 1st time since the 1980's. They'll be looking for their 1st postseason win since 1990. Sunday the Bengals went into Pittsburgh and gutted out a 3 point victory. Heinz Field played witness to Pittsburgh being eliminated while Cincinnati clinched a playoff birth. Houston, Denver, New England, Baltimore and Indianapolis are in along with the Bengals. Week 17 will basically decide AFC playoff seeding including 1st round byes and home field advantage throughout. Last season the Bengals lost in Houston during AFC Wildcard Weekend. As January approaches Bengals fans will see if their organization can finally get that postseason monkey off their back.

RG3 Eli Romo Down The Stretch They Come For NFC East Title

Similar to the 2011 season, more than likely only one team from the NFC East will qualify for the 2012 postseason. We all know how last season went, the Giants defeated the Cowboys during the final night of the regular season. The rest as they say is history as New York won their 2nd Superbowl since 2007. After 15 weeks of NFL action Washington leads the NFC East with an 8-6 record even though the Giants and Cowboys share identical records, the Redskins are atop due to a better division record. Fans in DC has witnessed the Skins go from 3-6 to a 5 game winning streak, Giants started 6-2 now 2-4 since. Meanwhile Dallas has had an up and down season yet find themselves right there down the stretch. Philadelphia at 4-10 will take on Washington at home and New York away to close out the season. The lowly Eagles could play a role in deciding the winner of the NFC East. Keep in mind Dallas visits Washington during the final week of the regular season, things are mighty interesting to say the least.

Colin Kaepernick + Alex Smith Lead 49ers To 2012 Road Wins @ Lambeau Field + Gillette Stadium

San Francisco was coming off a fantastic 2011 NFL season led by 1st year head coach Jim Harbaugh. The 49ers went on to win the NFC West, defeat the New Orleans Saints in the Divisional Playoffs before falling to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship Game. They would look at the 2012 NFL schedule and see road games in Green Bay and New England. Rewind to September during Week 1, the 49ers led by Alex Smith went into Lambeau Field and left with a win over Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. Week 15 the 49ers held off a huge Patriots comeback from Tom Brady and left Gillette Stadium with a victory led by young quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Around the NFL those are a pair of tough places to win for NFC and AFC road teams yet the 49ers with two different quarterbacks playing two different styles were able to take care of business in those venues. San Francisco is currently positioned for a #2 seed again for the 2nd consecutive postseason, which comes with a bye week. Could the 49ers represent the NFC in New Orleans during the Superbowl in February ? Only time will tell.

KO By JMM Ends Pacquiao Marquez 4

This past Saturday Juan Manuel Marquez ended his 4th fight with Manny Pacquiao in convincing fashion at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. Pacaquiao at age 33 was put to sleep by Marquez who is 39 years old. The three previous bouts were slug fest with Pac Man winning 2 of 3 by controversial decisions and Marquez scored a draw in the other. Pacquiao and his trainer Freddie Roach leading up to this 4th bout wanted to prove critics wrong by knocking out Marquez. Instead Manny was the one caught sleeping literally. In boxing the story always goes : fighters get hurt by the punch that they don't see. Marquez indeed landed a hook that Pacquiao didn't see as the Filipino politician landed face first into the canvas. Many questions arouse after the fight. What will the drug test show for both fighters ? In this day and age of doping yon never know. Where does Manny go from here ? Will he fight again ? Will Pac Man and JMM fight for a 5th time ? Only the upcoming months during the new calender year produce answers to those questions.

Air Jordan Sneaker Fans : Don't You Want That Old Thing Back ! You Know The Swoosh Logo

Jordan Brand begin to retro sneakers more often starting 13 years ago in 1999. The Air Jordan IV was re released with the Nike Air logo on the back. Shortly after post year 2000 the Air Jordan IV's and V's were re released and featured the Nike Air logo. Did you know the last Jordan to be re released with Nike Air on the back took place in 2001. Those sneakers were the Air Jordan III's. For the past 11 years during retro releases the III's IV's V's and VI's are came with the Jumpman logo on the back opposed to Nike Air logo. The bigger question is, will the Nike Air logo ever return to those early Jordan releases ? How many of you Air Jordan sneaker fans want that old thing (on the) back ?

Notre Dame Finishes Regular Season Undefeated BCS Championship Opponent Could Come From SEC Championship Game Winner

Notre Dame, made a tremendous late goal line stand vs. USC this past Saturday. The defensive plays made against the run allowed the Fighting Irish to defeat the Trojans and preserve their undefeated season in Los Angeles. Thanks to Oregon and Kansas State both losing the previous weekend. Alabama will look to take advantage of their do over situation following their home loss vs. Texas A&M a few weeks ago. Georgia has a big chance to do something special themselves this upcoming Saturday inside the Georgia Dome. They could knock off the Tide who are the defending National Champions and send themselves to Miami for the BCS National Championship Game. The SEC could win the title once again this season. Nevertheless Notre Dame will have a say so to say the least about that. All eyes will be on this game as all roads lead to Atlanta on conference championship weekend.

Always Sunny In Philadelphia Sports : Ruiz Suspended - Jackson IR - Babin Released - Eagles Lose 7 In A Row - Bynum Knee - Flyers Strike

Tuesday Major League Baseball and the Philadelphia Phillies announced the suspension of Carlos Ruiz. Ruiz coming off a career 2012 season will miss the first 25 games of 2012 without pay, thanks to testing positive for Adderall a banned stimulant. This is coming off a 50 game suspension this past season of young infielder Freddy Galvis. Not to mention Philadelphia missing the playoffs for the first time since 2006. During the season key players like Ryan Howard, Chase Utley, Cliff Lee, Roy Halladay and Ruiz spent time on the DL. Last night during Monday Night Football, Cam Newton of Carolina accounted for 4 touchdowns as the Panthers beat the Eagles. Philadelphia has loss 7 in a row after a 3-1 start, now are 3-8 and more than likely 14 year head coach Andy Reid is out the door after the season, possibly quarterback Michael Vick as well. Tuesday Reid released Jason Babin who sack production took a hit from 2011 to 2012 and most from the outside looking in didn't think the Pro Bowl defensive end was giving complete effort. Desean Jackson suffered a rib injury on Monday Night and is done for the season. The last we heard Bynum re injured his knees bowling recently, he has yet to suit up for the 76ers this season. Many wonder will he ever play for Philadelphia during the 2012-13 NBA season. Finally the Flyers, we haven't seen them since the spring during the playoffs. Since the NHL is on strike we may not see them this season. Philadelphia sports fans can't seem to catch a break.

Oregon and Kansas State Get Knocked Off By Stanford and Baylor

Alabama was knocked off at home two weeks ago at home vs. Texas A&M. That set up the stage for Oregon and Kansas State to be 1 and 2 respectively in the BCS, both teams run the table and they play for the National Title. But wait, it's not that simple. Pac 12 rival Stanford Cardinal posted an overtime road win over Oregon. Baylor took care of Kansas State at home in blowout fashion. Things changed in college football within 7 days ! Now Alabama regained life with those pair of loses, while  Notre Dame became number one in their magical season. But once again not so face Notre Dame travels west to play USC, minus Matt Barkley the senior quarterback will not start. Alabama will have to get through the SEC Championship Game. Let's not set Notre Dame and Alabama up in the BCS Championship Game just yet as we witnessed, anything could happen.

49ers Must Decide Colin Kaepernick or Alex Smith As Starting QB

My my my, what do we have here by the Bay ? Let's see...Alex Smith was knocked out two weeks ago during 49ers tie vs. St. Louis. 2nd year quarterback Colin Kaepernick stepped in this past week on Monday Night Football vs. Chicago. During the 49ers blowout victory in prime time the kid played well throwing for 3 touchdowns. If Smith is healthy enough to play in New Orleans on Sunday we he get the start ? Or will 2nd year head coach Jim Harbaugh go with Colin Kaepernick ? Harbaugh when asked about his potential decision, replied he'll go with the hot hand. The 49ers head to the Superdome 7-2-1 as they not only batte for the NFC Division title but maybe a first round bye with a 1st or 2nd seed. As we come down the stretch obviously Jim Harbaugh will have a tough decision to make going forward.

Lakers Weekend : Brown Out D'Antoni Not Jackson In !

Lakers began the weekend firing 2nd year head coach Mike Brown after the team started 1-4. Assistant coach Bernie Bickerstaff won two games over the weekend as interim coach. The Lakers are now 3-4. Sunday after speaking with former Lakers coach Phil Jackson and trying to work out travel arrangements, Jackson was stunned and maybe the rest of us where to as Los Angeles inked Mike D'Antoni to a 4 year contract. The former head coach of the Phoenix Suns and New York Knicks. By the way the Lakers face Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks on Christmas Day. Melo is rumored to be the reason why D'Antoni 'resigned' from the Knicks during the middle of last season. Mike D'Antoni was Kobe Bryant favorite player while playing in Italy the country where Bryant spent most of his childhood, as his father played overseas. Instead of Jackson's triangle offense expect up and down transition basketball on offense. When Steve Nash comes back from injury he'll be right at home reunited with the coach that helped him win a pair of NBA MVP awards while in Phoenix. The Lakers and their fans better hope this is the right move. Because for these veterans : Bryant, Nash, Howard, Gasol and World Peace the time is now to win a championship.

NFL Week 10 3 QB's Turned Into LL Cool J : Mama Said Knock You Out

Alex Smith, Michael Vick and Jay Cutler have 3 things in common after NFL Week 10. First San Francisco, Philadelphia and Chicago all played at home vs. St. Louis, Dallas and Houston. Second none of the home teams won their game, San Francisco missed a potential game winning field goal in overtime to end the game in a 24-24 tie, Philadelphia fell to 3-5 after a 38-23 loss to Dallas and Chicago on Sunday Night Football loss to Houston in a defensive struggle 13-6. Third thing these starting quarterbacks shared on Sunday, they were all knocked out of the game with concussions. As the week goes on and the doctors do all the necessary test a time table will be set for the availability of these players going forward next week and beyond.

QB Johnny Manziel Leads TexasA&M To Road Win Against #1 Alabama

Saturday November 10, 2012 Bryant - Denny Stadium in Tuscaloosa, AL was the site of something epic ! Redshirt freshman quarterback Johnny Manziel became a house hold name as he led the Aggies to a 29-24 upset victory over the Crimson Tide. With his impressive performance running and throwing the football as a duel threat, the Alabama defense were on their heels the entire day. College football experts have said Manziel has now entered the Heisman Trophy conversation with that signature win. Texas A&M is playing their first season in the SEC after leaving the Big 12. Coming into the game the Aggies were ranked 15th. The win could have also set up a possible BCS at large bid for Texas A&M if they can run the rest of the table. Alabama was looking for back to back National Championships and the 5th year in a row the SEC could have won the title. Alabama dream isn't dead, they'll have to win out and probably need 2 of 3 schools to lose : Oregon now ranked 1, Kansas State now ranked 2 and Notre Dame. The Crimson Tide reached the title game last year as a one loss team, this year the competition is a little steep. Johnny Mania is here let the good times role as his family looks to trademark : 'Johnny Football'.

Knicks Hot Shooting To Start The Season Will Last For How Long

New York on Friday knocked off defending champion Heat at Madison Square Garden. Sunday during their afternoon game at Madison Square Garden they defeated the 76ers. Monday evening in Philadelphia during the 2nd game of a home and home they crushed the 76ers again. New York is playing excellent defense. I believe that can last for an entire 82 game season. However they have hit 10 plus threes in each game thus far. Their game vs. Miami highlighted their 3 point makes with 19 triples made. That's the concern I have, when you live by the jump shot, you die by the jump shot. It's all good when their going in. Once they aren't going in, things can turn quickly. Obviously Melo will continue to get his points, however can his supporting case continue to hit the 3 at this rate. They will be in every game as long as they continue to play defense like their currently playing defense

Bama Escapes LSU In Baton Rouge

College football fans, could you really ask for more when it comes to Alabama vs. LSU. The teams faced off in last season National Championship Game in New Orleans, LA. Alabama won the championship over LSU. Making up for their regular season loss to the Tigers. Saturday another instant classic as the Crimson Tide escaped potential disaster with a final minute touchdown. Tide quarterback A.J McCarron threw a simple screen pass which turned into the decisive score in a 21-17 victory. A cruising defeat for LSU and their fans at Tiger Stadium. For Alabama the dream is still for a chance to win back to back National Championships

Oregon & USC Turn LA Coliseum Into West Shootout

Wild Wild West, on Saturday a Pac 12 game in Los Angeles turned into an up and down the field shootout. 113 total points where scored during the Oregon and USC conference game. Oregon kept their potential National Championship dreams alive with a 62-51 road win. The Ducks remain undefeated, meanwhile the Trojans lost their 3rd conference game of the season. Obviously USC dream of  winning a title going into the season, won't present itself. Kenjon Barner racked up 325 yards running for Oregon and 5 touchdowns ! Matt Barkley threw for 303 yards and 3 touchdowns. Could their be a potential collision course of Oregon vs. Alabama in the BCS National Championship Game ? With the rest of the season coming down the stretch, along with Conference Championship Games, only time will tell.

2012-13 Philadelphia 76ers How Many Wins Will Equate To Successful Seaon

Last year during a strike shortened 2011-12 NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers advanced to the 2nd round of the playoffs for the 1st time since 2003. Gone are veterans Andre Iguodala and Elton Brand. 6th man Lou Williams has moved on as well. Jrue Holiday and Evan Turner the young talented duo remains. Ditto for Thaddeus Young. Via trade and free agency, Philadelphia has added Andrew Bynum, Jason Richardson, Dorrell Wright and Nick Young. The last 3 players mentioned should be available to stretch the defense with their ability to knock down the 3. That helps Bynum in the post and when healthy Andrew can demand a double team, get to the free line or even kick the ball out to open shooters. Doug Collins the 76ers head coach seems to have plenty of talent to work with. Lavoy Allen the young big man returns along with veteran Spencer Hawes to provide front court depth. Don't forget about Kwame Brown who was added for his interior defense and rebounding. Personally I like the kid from Villanova, who'll play backup point guard Maalik Wayns. Wayns passes the ball that leads to a Lavoy Allen basket I refer to as the Temple/Nova Big 5 connection. They key to the season is keeping Bynum healthy. That allows players to slash to the basket and shoot 3s. I feel like Philadelphia winning 50 games and appearing in the Eastern Conference Finals, would make 2012-13 a successful season. Wednesday night they'll open the season vs. Andre Iguodala and the Denver Nuggets at the Wells Fargo Center. Let the 82 game journey begin.

Giants Despite Falcons Undefeated Record Lead The Pack As Top NFC Team

Atlanta after going into Philadelphia and beating the Eagles by double digits remain undefeated at 7-0. Personally just can't get on the Falcons wagon during the regular season, they'll have to prove it in the playoffs. During the Wild Card round vs. Giants a season ago, the Falcons scored 2 points. The year before with home field advantage and a bye, they were beat by Green Bay in the Georgia Dome by 30 points. Now the defending Superbowl Champion New York Football Giants are 6-2 riding a 4 game winning streak and evening their NFC East record at 2-2 after a road win vs. Dallas which meant coming back after blowing a 23-0 lead. They have won 2 titles since 2007 and Eli Manning is a late game comeback artist. To round out the current top five teams in the NFC in no particular order : Chicago, Green Bay and San Francisco. Teams like Seattle, Arizona, Minnesota look like they could challenge for the NFC 6th and final playoff berth. With teams like Philadelphia and Dallas trying to get into that mix and maybe Detroit. With that said it's still a half of season remaining to be played.

James Harden Trade To Rockets Shouldn't Be A Shock Writing Was On The Wall

Saturday, reigning NBA Sixth Man Of The Year winner James Harden was traded from Oklahoma City to Houston. Now it's up to the Rockets to resign the upcoming free agent. The writing was on the wall during the London Olympics this summer. Big man Serge Ibaka was resigned by OKC, that alone spoke volume, meaning Harden may not be in future plans. Durant and Westbrook obviously are already in the Thunder future plans as they were already resigned. The move clearly was all about the $ and at the end of the day, the NBA is a business. Especially after the organization and Harden representatives couldn't agree on an extension. OKC Thunder front office orginally are from San Antonio and clearly that was a Spurs type move. OKC also will receive some draft picks in the trade and a few young players including UConn rookie Jeremy Lamb. Kevin Martin is another player the Thunder got in the trade. He can score the basketball as a 3rd option, especially when he's on the floor with Westbrook and Durant. OKC should be a major player in the Western Conference for years to come.

Giants Sweep Tigers In Route To 2nd World Series Title In 3 Years

3rd baseman Pablo Sandoval took home the 2012 World Series MVP. During the Giants Game 1 victory over Detroit in San Francisco, he hit 3 home runs off Justin Verlander. From that point on the Tigers couldn't catch the Giants. San Francisco won Game 4 in extra innings to finish off the series at Comerica Park. The Giants after trailing the Cardinals 3-1 during the NLCS closed that series winning 3 straight. SF then went on to win 4 in a row, including World Series shutouts in Game 2 and 3, to finish the season winning straight. Credit the Giants defense and pitching, they shut down Prince Fielder and Miguel Cabrera the AL Triple Crown winner. Detroit swept the Yankees in the ALCS and now know the feeling in the Fall Classic. Manager Bruce Bochy of San Francisco has won another championship with a lineup that is nearly as different as the one in 2010.

SF Giants Tie NLCS Force Cardinals To A Game 7

NLCS Game 7 will be played Monday night in San Francisco, of course weather pending. The scheduled starting pitchers for the Giants and St. Louis Cardinals are Matt Cain and Kyle Loshe. The winner of the game will host Game 1 of the 2012 World Series on Wednesday vs. Detroit. San Francisco and St. Louis are the last two National League representatives in the Fall Classic. These two teams are also the last two World Series Champions. Obviously something has to give. St. Louis took a 3-1 series lead after their Game 4 victory back at Bush Stadium. San Francisco won Game 5 to get the series back in San Francisco trailing 3-2 in the best of seven series. Sunday evening the Giants won Game 6 to even the series 3-3. Over the past two postseasons St. Louis has already won elimination games in Philadelphia and most recently in Washington.

Tigers Sweep Their Way Into 2012 Fall Classic

For the first time since 2006 the Detroit Tigers will play in the Fall Classic. Over in the National League the Cardinals currently lead the Giants 3-1 in their best of seven NLCS. The last time Detroit were in the World Series they loss to St. Louis. If the Cards are able to advance to the World Series, they'll set up two things : a rematch from 2006 and the Cardinals would be attempting to win back to back World Series. Detroit had to battle down the stretch just to capture the AL Central, the White Sox would not go away to the bitter end. The Tigers led by manager Jim Leyland won ALDS Game 5 in Oakland to advance to the ALCS. The team avoided blowing a 2-0 series lead. Then went into the Bronx and took a pair of games from the Yankees. The team returned to the Motor City and finished the Bronx Bombers off.

Reid Fires Juan Why Did He Ever Hire Juan

The Philadelphia Eagles are 3-3 heading into a bye week. Coming out of the bye week on October 28th, they will face the undefeated Atlanta Falcons a team that's 6-0. Defensive backs coach Todd Bowles will replace fired Juan Castillo has defensive coordinator. Philadelphia is riding a two game losing streak after the defense couldn't hold a 1 point 4th quarter lead late in Pittsburgh. That last defensive sequence included a 3rd and 12 which Philadelphia gave up a 1st down to Pittsburgh. That was many of several plays that set up a game winning field goal for the Steelers in their 16-14 victory. Philadelphia lead Detroit 23-13 Sunday with about 5 minutes left to play. The Lions forced overtime and eventually won 26-23 in the extra period. Why did Andy Reid fire Castillo ? Why did Andy Reid hire Castillo ? Juan Castillo is a hard worker yet he comes from the offensive side of the football as an offensive line coach. Prior to the 2011 season Reid hired Castillo as defensive coordinator...go figure, 22 games later it's over.

Philadelphia Sports Fans & Media Over React Especially To The Eagles Settle Down Relax

Let's see Philadelphia has a total of 4 major professional sports teams and a total of 6 championships during the Superbowl era. Unfortunately the Eagles have 0 Superbowls only a pair of NFL Championships pre Superbowl era. The Flyers won back to back Stanley Cup Finals in 1974 & 1975, while the 76ers won the NBA Finals in 1967 & 1983. In 2008 the Phillies won their 2nd World Series title, actually becoming the 1st Philadelphia franchise to win a championship since 1983 and that was 4 years ago ! It's frustrating especially with the Philadelphia Eagles under Andy Reid because they have not won a Vince Lombardi trophy since he's been the coach the past decade and a half. Media overact to every lost but hey maybe that's their job. However can the same be said for the fans. No NFL team is perfect, titles aren't won in September or October yet they can be lost. NFL is a marathon not a sprint. Fans really think at this point rookie Nick Foles will lead Philadelphia to the promise land, especially with Michael Vick turnover issues after Week 5. Now when the Eagles win fans walk around with so much bravado. Yet when they lose please replace players maybe even coaches. Reid I can agree with due to overall stubbornness. Yet with players it's too much. Firm believer you have to keep an even keel week to week. Maybe as a city when we aren't used to winning, it plays a role in overall fan behavior, where you may not see that as often with other cities that have won and are winning. NFL which we learned in recent years from the Giants and Packers, just get into the NFL Playoffs and go from their both teams won titles without having the best regular season records. The (215) saga continues...

NFL Network + NFL Films Great Idea With 'A Football Life' Documentary

September 15th, 2011 was the 1st episode of the NFL Network and NFL Films collaboration : 'A Football Life'. During the time this article was written through the 1st 2 seasons a total of 12 shows have aired. 5 more episodes are slated to air during the remainder of season 2. Bill Belichick was the initial documentary that aired in the fall of 2011. Now coming full circle Belichick was aired on the most recent show which featured '95 Cleveland' a team he coached since 1991 before being fired. That was the final season in Cleveland before Art Modell moved the franchise to Baltimore then becoming the Ravens. This is a small example of the bigger picture of how value the recently deceased Steve Sabol of NFL Films was to the NFL. Personally always been a fan of Ray Lewis he appeared early on during season 2. Also as a fan of the Philadelphia Eagles, I enjoyed season 1 episode that featured Jerome Brown and Reggie White. New episodes usually air on Wednesday evenings, I suggest any football fan to tune in, especially the one's who may never saw an episode of the series.

Yankees Cowboys Lakers Fans How Legit Are They When They Aren't From New York Dallas Or Los Angeles

New York Yankees 27 World Series titles, Dallas Cowboys 5 Superbowl titles and Los Angeles Lakers 16 NBA titles. All three teams have a combined 48 professional championships. Personally I understand the concept people can like whatever franchise they desire. What I don't understand is why do fans of those teams that aren't from : New York, Dallas or Los Angeles make up reasons why they follow those squads. Few admit those were the teams in their respective childhood that were always on television, before the days of cable and Internet. It was basically watch those teams on television or don't watch sports at all. I hear plenty of fans who don't live in those cities respond to reasons why they like those teams, one of those reasons are : "My parents or relatives liked the Yankees, Cowboys or Lakers", so now I like them. Some fans like at minimum 2 of those 3 teams. I never understood why fans didn't choose the Mets, Oilers (at the time they were in Houston) or the Clippers, my guess is those franchises don't have enough championships. Who knows the way a fan follows a sports team, may also show the type of person they are personality wise.

Orioles Clinch 1st Postseason Birth Since 1997

It's only a matter of time before the Baltimore Orioles learn their postseason fate. Now that the team has clinched a playoff spot, they'll need to see in their final two regular season games will they be a division champion or wildcard entry. The birds have an outside chance of over taking the Yankees for the American League Eastern Division title, however they could enter as a wildcard and face Oakland in a one game playoff to advance to the ALDS. No one expected Baltimore to make the 2012 MLB playoffs prior to the start of the 2012 season. Let alone with the AL East, especially with the Yankees, Red Sox and Rays as division foes. Kudos to the City of Baltimore, their fans and the organization. Let's see how long their postseason ride last after a 15 year playoff wait.

Washington Nationals Clinch 2012 NL East

Monday evening vs. Philadelphia, the Washington Nationals lost the game yet they were able to celebrate. Late in the game a mini celebration took place in the home dugout of Nationals Park. The 2nd place Atlanta Braves just lost to the Pittsburgh Pirates, clinching the 2012 National League Eastern Division for the Nats. It's their 1st division title since arriving in Washington from Montreal. Next weekend they will enter postseason play with an opponent yet to be determined at the time of this blog. Atlanta will battle St. Louis or Los Angeles during a one game playoff, the winner will take on Washington in the Division Series. Key question : is this a one year lightning in a bottle situation or can the Nationals become a threat in the division for years to come ?

NFL Referees Are Back

Let's see it took an entire preseason and four weeks into the 2012 NFL season for the locked out officials to return. The regular officials received a standing ovation this past Thursday during the Browns vs. Ravens game. The remainder of the crews returned Sunday, they got some calls wrong, yet they got many that were right. I assume the first few weeks back will be the referees version of preseason for them. They simply had to return after the forgettable Monday Night Football ending between Seattle and Green Bay. Also the prior weeks saw the replacement referees struggle left and right with the speed of the game. I guess at the end of the day they did the best they could do. Now officials your back, get ready for the boos to return at some point during the season. It's simply too much like right.

Heisman Hopeful Turns Morgantown Football Into A Basketball Score

2012 is the 1st year West Virginia is playing the the Big 12 Conference. During the final Saturday in September the Mountaineers played host to the Baylor Bears. Heisman Trophy hopeful Geno Smith led West Virginia to a 70-63 win over Baylor. This game obviously lit up the scoreboard to the tune of 133 total points and the two teams combined for 19 overall touchdowns. The game was certainly an instant classic on the college football scene. For West Virgina's Geno Smith the star quarterback definitely had a Heisman resume building type game. Let's see can the Mountaineers keep the hot offense going in the weeks to come and get to a BCS Bowl Game later this season. Both schools saw their basketball programs make the NCAA Tournament this past season and a basketball game broke out on Saturday at least from a scoreboard standpoint.

Arizona Atlanta Houston 3-0 Which NFL Undefeated Team Is Best

Going into Week 3 of the 2012 NFL season, 6 teams entered undefeated after Week 3 was complete only 3 undefeated teams remained. Those 3-0 teams are the Cardinals, Falcons and Texans. Houston and Atlanta were Superbowl picks this season by some experts, meanwhile the same couldn't be said for Arizona. It was less than 4 years ago when Arizona appeared in their 1st Superbowl and came up just short vs. Pittsburgh. Meanwhile a season ago Houston made their 1st playoff appearance in franchise history and won their 1st playoff game. Atlanta lost 24-2 in the Wild Card round vs. New York the Giants held Atlanta to a safety. Each team bring something different to the table, maybe right now Houston is the best undefeated team, yet Atlanta is great in the Georgia Dome, while Arizona plays tremendous 3-4 defense. As recent as last season we witnessed 15-1 Green Bay go down in the Divisional Playoffs to the 9-7 eventual Superbowl champion New York Giants. Once you get into postseason play records don't matter and everyone fate is the same, if you lose it's see you next year at training camp. Championships aren't won in September yet they could be lost especially due to injuries by important players. Let's see which of these teams go the furthest as the season goes on.

Could Reid Be Sacrificing Vick To Save His Job

Following the Eagles 27-6 defeat at the hands of the Arizona Cardinals, Monday 14 year Philadelphia head coach Andy Reid was asked about Michael Vick future as starting quarterback of the Eagles. Reid stated Vick will be evaluated. My question is why isn't Reid evaluating himself. Vick is struggling with turnovers whether that's fumbles or interceptions. Michael clearly must get better, especially in the red zone where turnovers are really devastating, because you don't score any points. Vick and the Philadelphia offense through three weeks are turning the football over way to much. When does Reid actually take responsibility for his game plan, which would help his quarterback and offense ? 25 first half passes against Arizona vs. 5 first half runs. Come on ! In a dome on the road against an excellent defense who brings pressure against Philadelphia's offensive line that's missing starting C and LT, pass pass and pass some more. Why not use Shady McCoy your star running back and get the ball out quickly with slants, crossing routes and screens. McNabb is gone, Reid is still here, could Vick be next to exit town after the 2012 season ? While Reid gets to develop Nick Foles the rookie quarterback out of Arizona. Philadelphia escaped Cleveland during Week 1, Vick missed most of the preseason yet Reid called over 50 passing plays, while McCoy was averaging about 5 yards per carry. Andy Reid clearly is stuck in his way, determined to do what he wants, not changing his ways, which has yet to win him a Superbowl as an NFL head coach and could cost the Eagles a championship this season. He's too stubborn for his own good.

Monday Night Mistake Replacement Refs Ruin Packers Seahawks Game

Seattle 14 Green Bay 12, yet the score doesn't tell the story. Packers led the Seahawks 12-7 with only one play left in the 4th quarter. Seattle rookie quarterback Russell Wilson dropped back to pass and threw into the end zone for wide receiver Golden Tate, who appeared to push off during the play. Under normal circumstances that would have been offensive pass interference, yet no call. M.D Jennings the Packers safety looked to come down with an interception to win the game and preserve victory for Green Bay. Not so fast one replacement ref signaled touchdown, while another replacement official signaled touch back which ends the game with an interception. The officials up stairs in the booth, looked at the play only to rule a Seattle touchdown, ball game over Seattle 'won', Green Bay 'lost'. Many complaints of replacement officials took place over the first three weeks of the 2012 NFL season. After Monday Night social media lit up over the obvious blown call. The official referees are on strike, yet they are needed back. Personally I would hate to see this game and blown call hurt potential playoff chances of Green Bay, especially in a tie breaker situation or potential postseason home game.

Notre Dame Athletics Huge Week That Was

Earlier in the week, Notre Dame announced they will compete in all sports minus football in the Atlantic Coast Conference. Notre Dame football will play about five games a year against ACC competition despite they will remain an independent in football. The Irish will join the likes of UConn and Pitt recent Big East basketball members who left for the ACC. Personally not a fan of teams jumping from league to league, those football moves are affecting college basketball as well. Meanwhile it's a sign of the times, this is what is going on in the NCAA for financial purposes. Now lets fast forward to Saturday. Irish football went into East Lansing, Michigan and knocked off a top ten football team in Michigan State. Huge road win on national television for Notre Dame, they are now 3-0 under their new head coach Brian Kelly, they haven't started this well in quite sometime.

Stanford Defeats USC 4th Year Straight Season

No Andrew Luck, no problem. Luck the 2012 number one pick of the NFL Draft is gone. He's the rookie quarterback of the Indianapolis Colts. Meanwhile Matt Barkley opted to stay at USC instead of going into the NFL Draft. Barkley wanted the chance to win a National Championship. After Saturday's 21-14 loss to Stanford in Palo Alto, CA those chances look bleak. Barkley threw a pair on interceptions and obviously the Cardinal took full advantage of those opportunities. Clearly Stanford was the more physical team on offense and defense. Clinging to a 7 point 4th quarter lead with about 8 minutes remaining the Cardinal were able to run the football. Stanford was able to chew major minutes off the clock to seal the deal. Most experts will call the game an 'upset' because the Trojans are ranked number two. However when you defeat a team four straight seasons, there is no such thing as an 'upset'. Now USC will probably have to run the table for the rest of their Pac 12 schedule just to have a chance at the BCS National Championship Game.

National League 2nd Wild Card Up For Grabs

Down the stretch they come in the National League. Atlanta currently has a comfortable lead for the 1st NL Wild Card, meanwhile that 2nd Wild Card position is far from settled with 3 weeks remaining in the 2012 Major League Baseball season. Commissioner Bud Selig implemented the 2nd Wild Card affective for the 2012 season over this past off season. Many people such as myself thought it wasn't such a good idea. Now with weeks remaining several National League teams have a chance to play in October. Milwaukee and Philadelphia are the hottest teams and are only 3 games back of the defending World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals. St. Louis has been struggling lately behind them are the new look LA Dodgers and Pittsburgh Pirates. Each team will jockey for position to see who will advance. Also for the AL and NL Wild Card winners, the two teams will play one another in a 1 game playoff, the winner of that game advances to Division Series with the 1st 2 games at home.

Jim Calhoun Retires As UConn Head Coach

At the age of 70, the man that put UConn basketball on the map : Jim Calhoun has retired. Let's see Calhoun led the Huskies to 3 National Titles most recently in 2011. Also Calhoun led Connecticut to 7 Big East Tournament Championships. Jim Calhoun was hired by the University of Connecticut in 1986 coming from Northeastern University. Shortly after his hiring, Jim was able to make UConn a noticeable team in the Big East Conference along with Syracuse, Georgetown, St. Johns and Villanova. Ray Allen, Caron Butler, Rip Hamilton, Emeka Okafor, Ben Gordon, Kemba Walker are just a few of Calhoun former Huskie players that have gone on to play in the NBA. For the present moment, former UConn point guard Kevin Ollie has been named head coach, moving up from his assistant coach position.

Baltimore And Tampa Down The Stretch They Come Looking To Catch Yankees

Yes the New York Yankees have had season long injuries especially to their pitching staff. Hall of Fame closer Mariano Rivera went down early in the 2012 season, with an ACL injury. C.C Sabathia has spent more than one stint on the disabled list. Andy Pettite is currently on the DL. Slugger Alex Rodriguez among other position players have ended up on the DL at some point during the season as well. However people have to start giving fellow AL East teams Baltimore and Tampa Bay the credit they deserve. As we enter September the Orioles and Rays are on the Yankees heels. What's impressive is Tampa as usual is competitive without a huge payroll, 3 playoff appearances in the last 4 seasons. Baltimore is looking to make the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. If they catch the Yankees it could be a from worse to first story. Only time will tell as the teams enter the final weeks of the season. Pitching, defense and timely hitting is keeping Baltimore and Tampa in the AL East and Wild Card races, respectively.

Possible 2012-13 NHL Lockout Honestly Who Cares

During the 2004 season the NHL suffered a season long lockout. Fast forward to 2012 and history could repeat itself. If the National Hockey League players and owners, along with each side representatives can't get things done over the next few weeks, history may indeed repeat itself eight years later. Their are far too many professional hockey teams in the United States ! Cities such as Nashville, Phoenix, Tampa, Miami, Raleigh to name a few, aren't great hockey cities. Which means they are losing money at an alarming rate. One thing the owners want the players to do : take less money to close the gap on money lost, due to poor fan attendance in certain cities. Obviously in Canada where hockey is like God it would be missed for how ever long their was a league lockout. Maybe both sides come to an agreement and they avoid a lockout. Nevertheless as of now that is looking highly unlikely. The NFL is getting ready to kickoff their 2012 season and that is America's number one sport. MLB is coming down the stretch with their regular season division races and the start of the NBA is soon to follow. With a strike or lockout the NHL could really put its sport in America way on the back burner.

NFL 2012 5 Rookie QB's Slated To Start Week 1

It was a given Andrew Luck and Robert Griffin III, the top two selections during the April NFL Draft would become starters immediately. Luck came from Stanford, while RG3 came from Baylor. Mr. Griffin won the Heisman Trophy as well. Now unlike previous years in the National Football League, rookie quarterbacks aren't learning from holding a clipboard on the sideline, they are playing. During NFL Week One those guys will be joined by Ryan Tannehill in Miami, Russell Wilson in Seattle and  Brandon Weeden in Cleveland. None of those teams mentioned appeared in the NFL playoffs last season. It will be intriguing to see which young quarterback can lead his team to the most wins. Last season Andy Dalton as a rookie quarterback started from day one and led the Bengals to the postseason. Cam Newton set all types of rookie records in Carolina, however he must improve on his turnovers and defensively the Panthers must get better as a unit.

2012-13 BCS Championship Game Many Believe It'll Be USC vs. Alabama

The Southeastern Conference has won so many consecutive BCS titles, I've lost count. Defending champion Alabama knocked off their SEC foe LSU last January to win the title. Now that USC is off probation and quarterback Matt Barkley has returned for his senior season, could the Trojans make a National Championship run ? Obviously the networks would love to see a pair of storied football schools go at, for all the marbles. USC from the Pac 12 (formerly Pac 10) vs. Alabama from the SEC. Lane Kiffin vs. Nick Saban, USC offense vs. Alabama defense, West Coast vs. South all the potential story lines are there. However that's why you play the games. College Football 2012 kicks off this weekend and Alabama faces a stern test in Week 1 vs. Michigan. Everyone knows the SEC is tough Florida, LSU, Auburn, Vanderbilt and South Carolina just to name a few. So there should be no surprise if they two teams meet or don't meet come January for the BCS title.

Billy Bean Back At It Again His A's Are Looking For A Postseason Birth

Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane, has his baseball club right where they want to be. Coming down the stretch, entering the month of September, Oakland has a chance to make the 2012 Major League Baseball postseason. About a year ago, Beane was on the big screen. Brad Pitt played Billy Beane in the movie 'Money Ball'. The movie showed how Beane and his staff utilized different statistics when acquiring talent for his team. Oakland used that formula to make the playoffs several times in the early 2000's. Now the rest of Major League Baseball has picked up and try to copy the success that Beane and his staff used to judge players. Along with Baltimore and Tampa, the Athletics will battle for 1 of 2 American League Wild Card sports during the final full month of the regular season. Beane even in 2012 still is doing it his way and obviously still successful at it. Let's see if Oakland will make the playoffs and if they do how far could they potentially go.

Chuck Taylor Converse All Star Brand That Never Ages

Chuck Taylor Converse All Star's come in many shapes and sizes, in terms of colors and high top and low tops. My personal favorite are high top black. It's still hard to imagine basketball players and especially NBA players in the 1950's and 1960's wore All Star's. All Star's don't have much support in terms of being able to absorb jumping and coming down. Fast forward to nowadays, I find them fashionable and so do other people. You can run errands in them or even dress them up. I purchased my first pair around 2005. I purchased my first pair of black high tops shortly after and recently purchased a newer pair. I'll wear them anytime, any place to any event. They are extremely comfortable and durable. I really believe the Converse All Star's are a classic. They truly stand the test of time.

Adidas Samba Classic Kicks

Edson Arantes do Nascimento wore the Adidas Samba. Who's  Edson Arantes do Nascimento ? Oh my apologies I'm sorry most know him as Pele. Pele is known as the greatest football (soccer) player of all time. Leading the country of Brazil to 3 World Cup titles back in the day. I currently have two pair of Samba's one pair of black and one pair of white. I purchased my first pair in 2002 and another pair in 2007, before recently purchasing the two pair I currently have. Adidas Samba's are know as Adidas Originals. Samba's are so comfortable. Samba's are extremely fashionable as well. They can be worn for leisure or can be worn dressed up. Those individuals who has ever worn a pair of Adidas Samba's can relate

Major League Baseball Clearly Just Does Not Get It When It Comes To PED's

Obviously Major League Baseball along with the players who play professional baseball have not learned their lesson. Former players having to testify, former players going to prison, former players writing books exposing themselves along with teammates and other players about cheating. Over the past two weeks Melky Cabrera of the San Francisco Giants and Bartolo Colon have been suspended 50 games. They were caught taking performance enhancing drugs. Obviously the players hurt their teams the Giants and A's, both are vying for potential NL and AL playoff berths. More importantly they add to the list of players past and present who continue to hurt the game by cheating the game. Clearly the lesson was not learned from Jose Canseco, Sammy Sosa, Mark McGuire, Rafael Palmeiro, Roger Clemens, Barry Bonds, A. Rod and the list goes on and on. As a baseball fan I'm frustrated when is enough enough, what records are legit, what records are not, honestly we just don't know. MLB clearly should not be labeled America's Past Time, when guys are cheating to win and/or cheating to get paid.

Andrew Bynum & Jason Richardson Press Conference Had 2000-01 Energy From Fans

Sixers owners Adam Aaron and Joshua Harris, have owned the team for about a year. Late last week their team was able to acquire Andrew Bynum and Jason Richardson, who were part of a four team trade. Philadelphia and their fans showed joy during the players introduction press conference at the National Constitution Center. The Sixers owners, made a rare move they opened up the press conference to the public for free. The crowd went bananas once they saw Bynum and Richardson. What an experience today for myself and everyone there. Philadelphia basketball on the professional level haven't had that roar since the 2000-01 campaign where Allen Iverson won NBA MVP and led the team to the NBA Finals. Fans were screaming "Bynum Bynum" and "JRich JRich", along with "Let's go Sixers". The Philadelphia 76ers probably have their 1st legit NBA superstar since Allen Iverson. Only time will tell how long the love fest will last between Bynum and the fans.

K Squared : Kobe Bryant And Coach K Say After Olympic Gold 2012 Is It

Kobe Bryant and Coach Mike Krzyzewski said during the London 2012 Olympics, this would be it for them. Following a 7 point win over Spain the USA Men's Basketball team won another Olympic Gold Medal. Kobe and Coach K won a pair of Gold Medals including the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Both men enjoyed working with one another. Each man have a mutual respect for the other man. Kobe and Coach K enjoyed working together to represent their country. Now they return to their day jobs of playing for the Los Angeles Lakers and coaching the Duke Blue Devils. Both men have combined for 9 championships as well. Good job of trying to replace K squared at the 2016 Rio Olympics in Brazil.