Mens College Basketball Curse of #1

I don't get it right now.  For the exception of Kansas, any team to go into the number 1 ranking in the top 25 this year has found a way to falter.  Noticeably Texas who got beat like they stole something in three of their past four games.  The three teams who have been in the number 1 overall position this year all have had double digit wins and zero loses at the time, pretty, pretty, pretty good.  While Kansas held this position for the longest time and could quite well be the best team amateur basketball has to offer, the other two teams (Texas and Kentucky) couldn't hold on for more than a week, now that's weak.

First we start with the most recent team to fall from the top, Kentucky.  With the sensational freshman class they have it's easy to see why they were number 1, that, and they were 21-0 at the time when they were picked number 1.  Then came a seemingly easy task of traveling to SEC opponent South Carolina and playing there.  But of course, our President wants to be Jay Bilas so he gave his 2-cents to the Wildcats.  Although he was calling them and thanking them for raising money for the disaster in Haiti, I'm not hating, that was a great moment for both the Kentucky team for fundraising and for President Obama for noticing when something special is happening.  Now, the President called to wish good luck and spoke of how when teams get to the top they seem to get complacent.  They all clearly voted for McCain because not one of them, not even Calipari, took any of what he said to heart.  They went out and got beat by a sub-par GameCocks team who was brewing up a upset special.  Kentucky lost at South Carolina 68-62 and the courts were stormed by drunken college students excited by the fact that they just took down the best team in the country.

Kansas may well be the best team in the country.  They have it all.  Lightning fast guards who know had to distribute and score, a solid defense, and a farm boy under the hoop at all times getting rebounds and altering shots.  Kansas was the team picked number 1 this year and they showed it in the beginning beating teams by 30 the way the 2007-2008 Patriots did.  But them came a big out of conference game at "The Summit" (you think Bruce Pearl is embarrassed by that name?).  Tennessee has a great squad this year with a good group of veterans and another solid recruiting class brought in by Mr. Pearl.  When Kansas traveled to UT it almost seemed obvious for a great game but I wasn't thinking upset.  That afternoon the Vols beat the Jawhawks 76-68 playing in a great game.  These two teams went at eachother hard for all 40 minutes and as a basketball fan you couldn't ask for anything else, well maybe for the NBA to play this way.

Now we get to Texas.  What happened?  Texas was ranked number 1 going into a Big 12 ranked match up against a recently rejuvenated program in Kansas State (K-State, love those jerseys).  They fell 71-62, OK not too bad for the Longhorns playing on the road, but they were number 1 for only a week, tough luck right? No, just bad basketball for Texas in general.  Next, they lost to a Jim Calhoun-less UCONN 88-74 on the road again.  UCONN is a great team in the best conference in the country so this was a tough battle of Texas regardless, but if they want to get that prominent recognition they're going to have to win those games the way big time teams do.  Then they play Texas Tech and win, honestly no big deal to me.  The loss home against Baylor in OT is frightening for those "Burnt Orange" faithful.  Yes, Baylor has been steadily getting better, but for Texas to let them win at home in OT is nothing short of embarrassing.  This is not just a conference game, its an in-state rivalry that should be played with an uncanny amount of enthusiasm.  But they fell again, terribly.

Who is the next number 1 team to fall, probably Kansas again because I can see them getting the top spot again after Kentucky lost.  So, I am a huge Big East fan just for the record, so I think teams like Villanova, throw your V's up, and Syracuse ('Cuse) should be in the talk for number 1 overall teams in the country.  It's going to be great to watch that game because they're neck and neck in the Big East as well as the country.  Also, how about BYU, those Mormons are doing something right with their basketball and football teams excelling so much.  Now good luck to the next number 1 team and I hope they can hold their own and not fall fast.

MLB Really Chaps My Ass

Recently in the world of baseball there has been a trend, admit to taking steroids and it seems as though you've gone through Heaven to talk to God himself and he's absolved you of all your sins.  I don't get it.  These athletes lied to the public, the league, the fans, their teammates, and basically the world about taking illegal supplements and all they have to do is go on an interview and cry a little to have everyone like them again?  Recently it's been Mark McGwire, who's now the hitting coach of the St. Louis Cardinals, who came out and finally admitted to the world what I'm pretty sure we all knew already, that he took steroids, and a lot of them I'm sure.  He was my childhood hero growing up, maybe cause I was fat and his nickname was "Big Mac", either way his ability to go yard captured to eyes of everyone in the nation from about '97-'01.  Then came the Congress hearing and he was sweating like a whore in church, because not only was he nervous about being caught, but he knew that everything he was saying was a complete lie. 

Now five or so years later he obtains a dream job with an amazing organization and the first thing he has to do is address the media about his "uncertain" steroid use.  So like other current and former players, he comes cleans and admits that he used steroids.  Also, he states that they didn't make him hit homeruns...really Mark? Like seriously, really Mark?  Everyone knows anabolic steroids increase strength and muscle mass.  So if someone is on steroids and they get that extra strength from the sauce couldn't that be the difference between 5 feet over the fence and 5 feet in front of the fence? Who ya fooling?

This is why I'm upset.  Major League Baseball will continue to accept these cheating mongrels who used illegal supplements to increase their numbers which eventually led to an increase in salary, basically just stealing money and fans souls.  But a guy like Pete Rose whose never once in his life not played this game to 110% and holds one of baseballs most prestigious record can't even be involved with baseball because he bet on his own team?  Now I'm not backing Mr. Johnny Hustle at all because betting on a team you're managing is complete garbage and bush.  But he never bet on the other team and altered the game so he can win money.  He always bet on his team, in a sick way it showed he had complete faith, and he apologized just like these other meatheads.  Pete Rose did multiple interviews throughout the years admitting his wrongdoing.  But still he remains on the outside of the MLB circle.  As a player, there seemed to be no one better than Pete Rose, I mean come on the got the nickname "Johnny Hustle" what more do you need!  He was a 17 time All-Star at 5 different positions, holds 4 Major League records, 3 World Series Rings, 3 batting titles, an MVP, 2 Gold Gloves, and a Rookie of the Year.  But as a player he will not be admitted into the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, NY because as a manager he bet on his team to win.  I just don't get it.  And like I said before, I'm not siding with him, I still think he was wrong, but he admitted his faults like everyone else and should get the same treatment.

One more point about steroid users that came out recently, it seems as though everything Jose Canseco has said is correct.  I read his book, and now I'm a believer.  Keep up the good work Jose!

Reflections on Championship Sunday

I don’t even know where to begin with this post because the two games that we were played yesterday spoiled football fans around the nation. The first game to kick off the great day of football was the AFC championship game featuring the Colts and Jets. I had no doubt in my mind heading into the game that the Colts weren’t going to take care of business. Unfortunately for me, the Jets had me eating my words for close to thirty minutes of the game, but that’s why two halves are played. The games first scoring drive came from the Colts as the Jets bend but don’t break defense only yielded a field goal. This didn’t seem to rattle the Jets, as on their next play from scrimmage Mark Sanchez threw a bomb to Braylon Edwards (yes, he actually caught it), and ran in for the long TD score. It was a brilliant play call to go up top right away, as the Colts were expecting the run. The Jets D then held the Colts to another FG and the Jets were back in business. Once again, the Colts were 100 percent defending the run, and just like that the Jets used a wildcat pass to get back to the red zone. A few plays later, Sanchez threw another TD pass, and it was 14-6 Jets that quick. Was this really going to happen? Were the Jets seriously going to knock off the mighty Colts and Peyton Manning at home? Not much changed on the Colts next drive as they fumbled deep in their own territory and the Jets had their hopes set on a 21-3 halftime score. However, the Colts D bailed out the offense and held the Jets to a field goal. 17-3 Jets late in the 2nd quarter. No one in the nation would have predicted that from this point on it would be all Colts, but that’s basically the story here. Manning led the Colts down the field instantaneously and threw a TD strike to Austin Collie to cut the lead to 17-10 at halftime. This is where the tides turned completely and there was the feeling that Manning was starting to figure out the puzzle that’s the Jets defense.
        The 2nd half saw Manning just pick apart the Jets D hitting Garcon and Collie left and right. Revis did his part for most of the game, but luckily for the Colts there is only one of him. The only 3rd quarter score was a beautiful Manning strike to Garcon to give the Colts the lead for the first time. This is where fans just knew that might be it for the Jets and there rookie QB led offense. The 4th quarter was no different than the third as the Colts were responsible for all the points. A Dallas Clark TD reception was the nail in the coffin that deflated the Jets. A late Matt Stover FG closed out the scoring at 30-17. I’ll admit it was a gutsy performance by the Jets and to their credit no one dreamed they would get this far. This leaves Rex Ryan with some lofty expectations next year and only time will tell if his team will live up to it.

        An even better game followed the AFC championship game, as a battle of two best of offenses in the league took place between the Vikings and Saints took place down in New Orleans. Both teams came out firing in this one, starting with the Vikings. Favre came out throwing, moving the ball down the field with ease. The drive ended with a 19 yard TD run by Peterson and the Vikings took the early 7-0 lead. Apparently the Saints offense was just as ready to score as they followed up with their own impressive scoring drive, eventually scoring on a screen pass to Pierre Thomas. In only about 9 minutes of play, it was 7-7. The Vikings got the ball back and the Saints D failed yet again to keep the Vikings out of the end zone, this time letting Favre connect with Sidney Rice on a 5 yard pass to give the Vikes a 14-7 lead at the end of the 1st quarter. The 2nd quarter didn’t see as much scoring; only a Brees TD pass to Devery Henderson to tie the game at 14. The Vikings blew a huge opportunity late in the half as Reggie Bush muffed a punt that should have been a blatant fair catch call. Minnesota recovered in the Saints red zone but managed to screw up a golden opportunity as Favre and Peterson had a bad exchange on the ball, causing the fumble and the Saints jumped right on it.
        The start of the 2nd half was just like the beginning of the game. The Saints drove right down the field and Garcon found the end zone again. It was the Saints first lead of the game at 21-14. It didn’t last long. Favre led the Vikings right down the field again and the TD drive was capped off by another Peterson TD to tie the game again. The 4th quarter was just like the 3rd as both teams exchanged TDs. The Saints scored on a Reggie Bush TD to grab the lead again. However, once again, the Saints D failed to keep the Vikings out of the red zone as Peterson scored for the third time. This is where the game just got even more ridiculous. Everyone who watched the game knows the Vikings fumbled SIX TIMES and where somehow still in this game. Somehow they survived all the turnovers and found themselves in a position to win the game. With two minutes left and a tie game, the Vikings were driving and looked as if they were entering Ryan Longwell’s FG range. Enter vintage Brett Favre. With only 19 seconds left and after an inexcusable 12 men in the huddle penalty the Vikings were forced to throw on 3rd down to get closer for a FG. Favre rolled out to his right, had running room in which he could have picked up about 8 yards (which would have been enough) but instead threw across his body and into the middle of the field. I don’t care who is throwing the ball, that is a terrible decision, and everyone knows what happens when you do that, INTERCEPTION. Stunned. Shocked. Dumbfounded. Whatever you want to call it, that was everyone’s reaction. The rest is history. Overtime ensued and Favre never got a chance to redeem himself (partly in thanks to hideous calls by the refs that gave the Saints critical yards) as the Saints won the toss and 23 year old Hartley kicked a game winner in OT to send his team into the Superbowl. The game was an instant classic and it’s a shame Favre’s last pass may be a pick. Again.
-PJ

NFL Conference Championship Predictions

As we get into this weekend all eyes are on Sunday and the NFC and AFC Championship games.  Unfortunately, my team, the New York Jets, are playing and for the honesty of this blog I have to be a football fan before a Jets fan, and that's going to suck more than being on Island Revis.  Now I have to make predictions and be as unbiased as possible which is going to be hard because Jet fans have about as much to get excited as Pittsburgh Pirate fans, not a lot.

First I'm going to start off with the NFC Championship.  This game is going to be awesome and I'm hoping for a down to the wire finish.  So here's the call as I see it: Saints 31 Vikings 24.  I don't see Adrian Peterson breaking out of his slump with the way the Saints defense has been playing.  They shut down a high powered offense in the Arizona Cardinals and basically killed Kurt Warner.  The Vikings will look to the Wrangler jean man Brett Farve for offense and they will get some but I'm calling for 2 interceptions because he's old and the season is getting late, the old dude is tired.  The Saints will have a tough time with Jared Allen and his mullet and his "Daisey Dukes" and his foo-man-choo, this guy is a legend, but in the end Drew Brees will have his way just slicing up the secondary just as John Madden slices into his TurDucken.

This is going to be the tough part.  Like a said I have to be a football fan first and come Sunday I'll be wearing my inside out Jets Farve jersey, Jets hat that I purchased off a man in the parking lot of The Meadowlands before a Jets game, and my Jets pajama bottoms that I washed the last time the Jets lost (they were clean in the middle of the season at least).  So here it comes Colts 24 Jets 10.  The clock strikes midnight and the Jets are done unfortunately.  They'll put up a battle but I just don't see an amazing quarterback like Peyton Manning losing to this team again.  I have too much respect for Peyton, whether it be his on the field play or his great commercial acting skills, he just too good to bet against in a game like this.  He'll find a way to stay away from Island Revis and utilize his other weapons to stomp the Jets hurting defense down.  The Jets will stick to their usual game plan by running the ball down the throat of their opponents.  But at some point Sanchez will have to have the game in his hands and that's when things will go down hill for this rookie QB. 

The Jets will have a lot to build on for next year.  They're going to take away a lot from this special run.  Not only will experience help them out for next years Super Bowl win, sorry I get carried away, but they can start to believe in a team that proved it can show up when it counts and not fall.

One final note Jets fans.  We should be going into this game like we did last game at San Diego, we have no chance to win.  If you go into this game thinking we're going to win then there's a chance you'll be disappointed.  But if you figure that the Jets are going to lose then you won't be upset by the outcome!  Here's my reasoning.  Jets win we're happy regardless, but if we think the Jets will lose then if they do lose then you won't be shocked and on suicide watch because that's what you thought would happen anyway.  This may be shallow but it worked last week, just like wearing dirty pajamas.

Early March Madness Predictions

As the NFL nears the completion of another season, it gives us a reason here at red, white, and blue to voice our opinions on the upcoming March Madness tournament. Although it's about 9 weeks away, the season is in full swing. So without further adieu, here are a few early thoughts on the season thus far.

Surprise team of the year: Kansas State.

 K state has had a relatively quiet year up until this past week when they made a big splash taking down number one ranked Texas. They are currently 16-2 (3-1 in conference) and 2nd in the Big 12, only behind number 3 ranked Kansas. Look for the Wildcats to continue winning games and make some noise in the tournament.

Player of the Year: Luke Harangody

 Although he plays for the subpar Irish, Harangody is having an impressive year. He is currently 2nd in the nation in scoring, averaging 24.7 points a clip, while pulling down close to 10 boards a game. He has been consistent for the majority of this year and the Irish need to have him keep up his big numbers if they want to have any bit of a prayer in the tenacious powerhouse the Big East is.

Coach of the Year: John Calapari

 The coach of Kentucky has his team playing like they never even lost 14 games last year. In fact, there last lose actually dates back that far. The Wildcats are 18-0 beating two ranked teams on the way to this impressive start. They are one of the best teams in the NCAA this year, partly due to rookie sensation John Wall. On the few nights Wall actually struggles, the rest of the team has no problem picking him up. Look for the Wildcats to make a deep run into the tourney, possibly even cutting the nets down in a few months.


Final Four predictions: Kentucky, Villanova, Kansas, Syracuse

 These four teams have managed to dominate the NCAA thus far into the season, combining for a record of 68-3. All four teams obviously have NBA talent on their team and should shine in March. As for who wins it, I can't bet against my Jayhawks. They have a very deep team this year, and although they lost on the road at Tennessee, I feel their seniority will carry them through. It should be mentioned, my partner on this blog, (Mr. Chris "Pauly-D" Esperon) feels the final four will consist of Villanova, Michigan State, Syracuse and Kentucky, with Kentucky fist pumping their way to winning the title.

Initiation Day-Gang Green

First I'd like to apologize for not following through with "Weekend Warrior" yesterday, my friend who runs this with me is basically a "Jersey Shore" stand in and was caught up in the pumping of his fist over the week (not to mention he's a Eagles/Phillies fan), I digress.

Now onto more important issues, The New York Jets.  So do we get excited? Do we start actually believing in our team now?  Is this the year us as fans begin to trust or team to lead us to victories and not disappoint week after week? Probably not, lets not forget who we're talking about here, although this is a huge step in the right direction.  Somehow Rex Ryan's banter, Island Revis, and the mouthing off of Bart Scott gave this team confidence, enough so to walk into San Diego (a whale's vagina in German) and play a stellar game against a team who has won 11 in a row, thanks to the MVP of the Jets Nate Kaeding.

As I previously stated I'm not sure if this is the year the Jets and their fans turn the corner, but I know that coming off this season and going into a new stadium will certainly help.  I'm sure if you ask certain fans like "Fireman Eddy" he knew all along this team was special, but if you can try and tell Mike Francessa that the Jets are for real, he'll attempt to eat you in one bite (p.s. he has a great spray on tan).

I guess I'm just writing this to say how impressed I am with the Jets this post-season.  I mean honestly it's been a decade since we were last in the AFC Championship game and three years since we've been in the playoffs.  Not to mention we're doing this with a rookie head coach, a rookie quarterback, for the past 6 weeks or so a rookie running back getting half the carries, and a passing offense that the school of the blind can compete with (sorry that was shameless).  But with Rex Ryan's defense and a running game/offensive line that seemingly does what it pleases the Jets have found a formula for success.

I'm not sure if I agree with the whole "Super Bowl Itinerary" idea for getting the team excited, but they seem to respond well to being an underdog even though Rex makes them believe they're the favorite to win every game, where was that against the Bills home this year.  Even though Rex Ryan is going to be the next sponsor for "NutriSystem" he seems to be the kind of coach and kindred spirit that this team and town needs.  Not to mention he's compared to the media communist Tom Coughlin.  But Rex Ryan is trying to make believers out of this franchise like Namath did in '62, no I'm not saying we're winning the Super Bowl, but he turning this team around making them into winners, finally.

Sleepless in Seattle-They don't know what they have coming!

This blog is going to be one that is very personal to me.  On Thursday January 14, 2010 in Philadelphia my best friend for almost a decade now was selected 27th overall by the Seattle Sounders FC in the MLS 2010 SuperDraft.  It was an absolutely priceless moment watching him on stage deliver his speech that only lasted about 45 seconds.  Now here's a stellar story of a soccer phenom, Mike Seamon.

Mike began playing, and dominating, soccer at high levels very early on in his career.  He started off playing club soccer for the Centeninal Warriors winning Snickers New Jersey State Cup tournaments the way Mike "The Situation" hits on girls, in style and often.  Other than dominating his age group in New Jersey year after year his team and him played overseas in Portugal, as well as playing and being very competitive in the prestigious Dallas Cup.

Now comes high school.  This is where Mike came into his own.  As a freshman it was clear that he was the real deal as he started and drew double teams from just about every team he played against in the mighty Mountain Valley Conference in Union County.  This continued in his sophomore year as well when it was obvious that every coach planned their game around him.  Now junior year came.  This year made it very clear that Michael was on another level compared to other players and I saw this on the field playing with him (a little self promotion never hurt).  He was selected to the All-State and All-County teams and was the buzz of the county.  Mike had such a great junior year, both in club and high school, that before his senior year began he committed to the University of Villanova.  As he played in his senior season things got wild, cat (bad pun sorry).  Mike smashed county and school records like Tiger Woods' wife smashed his face in.  Again, he was the talk of the town and was eventually named to the High School All-American team.

In college Mike again rose to become the cream of the crop.  Just like in high school, he started all four years and earned many awards and named to plenty of teams.  Most notibly being the Philadelphia Soccer 7 Player of the Year and being named to the Big East All-Conference team 3 times.  Although I wasn't able to see as many games as I wanted to, it was obvious Mike was going to have magically things happen to him, like Pinnochio.  He was invited to the MLS combine and was called "the surprise of the combine" by a few different websites.

On draft day he was nervous, probably sweating like a (insert word here) in church but who wouldn't be.  Then it happened, the team co-owned by Drew Carey himself selected one of the best athletes I've ever had the pleasure of playing with.  A well deserve honor for someone who works hard and hasn't forgotten where he comes from.  After being selected he was taken to the back for interviews and pictures which can be seen here http://www.soundersfc.com/News/Articles/2010/01-January/2010-SuperDraft.aspx.  When you watch the video and the man references someone jumping out of their chair, that's yours truely, I get excited like a child.

Weekend Warrior- ACL (Anterior Cruciate Ligament)

For this segement of Weekend Warrior I'm going to spend time on the most common knee ligament injury in athletes, the tearing of the ACL.  I'm sure you've heard all about the ACL injury from Tom Brady last year and Wes Welker most recently, like a care for those bums, LETS GO JETS!  For a little background about the ACL it is one of four ligaments that holds the knee together.  It is given the name "Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL)" because the ligament is anatomically in front of the other three major ligaments that constitute the human knee.

Now, lets get into the fun stuff, how the ACL usually tears, what patients say the feel when it happens, and the rehabilitation of the injury.

There are three basic factors that can contribute to the tearing of the ACL; environmental, hormonal, and anatomical.  First environmental.  Sports that include running and jumping pose the highest threat of tearing this oh so significant ligament.  Although certain contact sports, like football of course, can cause the most severe ACL injuries because of the high risk of hyperextension of the knee which can cause the ligament, and others, to go "bye-bye".  Hormonal, I'm sure most of you are very confused with this one, but it is known that high levels of estrogen can cause ligaments to weaken.  With that being said, this is one of the reasons why females (and certain saucebags) are more prone to tearing their ACL.  Finally, the anatomical reason why the ACL can tear, this is specifically for females.  I hope we all know that women have wider hips for child-bearing (now lets get back from our trip back to 6th grade sex education class) and because of the wider hips the "Q" (quadricep) angle is higher putting more pressure on the knee and its ligaments.  Sorry girls, you can't do anything about the hormonal or anatomical factors in tearing an ACL, but there are great ACL prevention exercises that can be done, I'm sure all you have to do is ask an athletic trainer or do the whole internet search engine thing.

Now usually if an athlete tears his or her ACL there will be surgery and it will suck.  Sometimes if the tear is super minute then surgery could be bounced, but lets just pretend we're electing on surgery to repair the ACL.  So what usually happens is a part of the patella tendon is taken and placed where the ACL used to be.  The tendon will heal, eventually the body and rehabilitation will help convert it into a ligament, and the ACL (formeraly patella tendon) will become even stronger.  Obvisouly after surgery some type of rehabilitation is needed, which involves alot of whole leg exercises focusing on regaining full range of motion, strength, total flexibility, and obviously living in a pain free environment.

For most of the athletes I've talked to tearing the ACL can feel like next to nothing or excruciating pain.  Either way swelling will occur in the affected area like any other serious injury.  Furthermore, if an athletic trainer or orthopedic surgeon has reason to believe you have torn your ACL they will perform the "Lachman" test, which tests the ACL for tears, it will basically be the sports medicine profession pulling on the lower half of your leg while your knee is pointed to the ceiling.

Typical ACL rehabilition will take approximately 6-9 months to completely recovered but the athlete may be cleared to play as soon as 6 months post-op.  Most of the time a brace is worn in athletic events, whether it's practice...yes we're talking about practice, we ain't talkin' 'bout a game, we talkin 'bout practice, (Sorry A.I.) or a game just as a precaution and it also helps give the knee some more stabilization and support.

As I've previously stated there are plenty of very impressive ACL prevention exercises that any athlete of any age can perform.  I highly recommend that all females do this just because girls are about 60% more likely to tear an ACL, which is unfortunate but true. Now don't go out in your game playing scared of tearing an ACL, don't hold anything back and best of healthy luck to all athletes.

LA Lakers-Team of the Decade

For my inaugural blog here on red, white and blue sports I chose to write about the best team of the decade. As much as it pains me to say, the Lakers seem to be the sexiest team of the past ten years. The Kobe led franchise has posted some gaudy numbers since the year 2000. It’s easy to remember their most recent championship; however the most impressive years were early on.

        To start the 1999-2000 season, the Lakers started out 31-5 and ended the season with 67 wins overall. They opened up the playoffs beating the Sacramento Kings and Phoenix Suns, followed by a classic seven game series against the Houston Rockets that punched their ticket to the NBA finals. The only team left in their way of the trophy was the Reggie Miller led Pacers, which the Lakers handled with ease, winning the Finals four games to two.

        Now, after winning a championship some teams become satisfied or complacent with their one ring. This was not the case with the Los Angeles Lakers. It actually seemed to be quite the contrary, as they went on to win the 2001 and 2002 NBA Finals to complete the “three-peat”. In 2001, the Lakers won 11 less regular season games but swept through the entire playoffs up until the Finals, where they easily handled my beloved Sixers, four games to one. This impressive 15-1 run in the playoffs was and is the best in NBA history. More of the same followed in 2002, where the NBA saw the Lakers hoisting the trophy once again, this time handling the New Jersey Nets in sweeping fashion, four games to none.  2004 to 2007 saw the Lakers fall into a semi “rebuilding” form. They missed the playoffs in ’05 for only the fifth time in franchise history. The following couple season saw the Lakers make the playoffs, only to fall to the Phoenix Suns in back to back years.

        2007 saw the Lakers return to the form they were used to being, dominating opponents in convincing fashion. They finished the regular season 57-25, then ripped through the Western Conference beating the Nuggets, Jazz, and Spurs respectively. That’s where the winning stopped for the Lakers in ’07 however, as the favored Celtics took the trophy in six games. Although the Celtics had managed to oust the Lakers, there was a sense of feeling around the league that the Lakers were close to becoming the class of the NBA again.

        Fast forward to the ’08-’09 season. Kobe and the Lakers were on a mission. They finished the regular season going 65-17, then handled the Jazz, Rockets, and Nuggets to get back to the Finals once again to face the Orlando Magic. The Magic couldn’t even make a series out of it, as the Lakers dominated the series four to one. This championship was no doubt the most special for Kobe, even though he will never admit it. It was the first ring he had won since Shaq had left for Miami and Phoenix, and this championship subsequently put the whispers to an end that Kobe could not win the “big one” without the big man underneath.

Best Game

As we begin to launch our blog we continue with our special of the bests of the decade.  Just as a recap Lance Armstrong was named the Best Athlete of the Decade, Bill Belichick was the Best Coach of the Decade, and President George W. Bush was part of the Best Moment of the Decade when he threw out the first pitch in game 3 of the 2001 World Series.  Now, the Best Game of the Decade was the 2007 Tostitos Fiesta Bowl between the Broncos of Boise State University and the Sooners of Oklahoma University.  The Sooners were favored by anywhere from 7 1/2 to 11 points, but the small school from Idaho had some tricks up their sleeves to say the least.

The game started out with Boise State jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter before the Sooners finally put themselves on the scoreboard at the end of the first quarter with a touchdown.  In the second quarter, each team scored once, Oklahoma hit a field goals and the Broncos tacked on another touchdown making the half time score 21-10 in favor of the Boise State Broncos.  I'm sure most of you (including me) did not foresee such a high powered team, from such a dominant conference, go into the locker room trailing at half time to a school like Boise State.

In the third quarter, like in the second quarter, each team scored once.  Boise State returned an interception for 6 (then added the extra point) and Oklahoma had a rushing touchdown by future NFL Pro-Bowler Adrian Peterson to make the score 28-17 as the Broncos still led going into the final quarter.  Now is where this game earns its title as the Best Game of the Decade.  The final one minute and thirty seconds of regulation and the overtime period will provide highlights for SportsCenter and Sports Illustrated for years to come.

Oklahoma wide out caught a tipped pass from quarterback Paul Thompson bringing the Sooners within two points of the Broncos.  The Sooners elected to go for the two-point conversion, which took three attempts to complete because of different penalties, but Juaquin Iglesias caught the pass from Thompson to make the score 28-28.  After the kickoff, Boise quarterback Jared Zabransky was intercepted by Sooner Marcus Walker and returned for a touchdown, making the score 35-28 giving Oklahoma the lead for the first time.

Next Boise possession left them with a 4th and 18 on the Sooner 42 yard line with only 18 seconds left on the game clock.  The next play was one of confidence by Boise State Coach Chris Petersen.  The classic school yard play known as "the hook and ladder" was called and performed to perfection.  With nothing to lose the Broncos ran this play and scored a touchdown with only seven seconds left on the game clock.  That play call was nothing short of genius or insanity.  At the end of regulation the score was 35-35.

Winning the coin toss Boise State elected to play defense first and the Sooners wasted no time by scoring on their first play off a rushing touchdown by Adrian Peterson, his last one in college.  When the Broncos got the ball in overtime they were faced with another fourth down, this time a more manageable 4th and 2.  The Broncos set up in the "Wildcat" offense with Vinny Perretta lined up under center, this was a wide receiver roll out option trick play, second trick play of the game.  Perretta rolled out to the right and threw a touchdown pass to tightend Derek Schouman making the score 42-41.  Now a conservative coach would just elect for the extra point, but Coach Petersen was anything but conservative in this game so Boise State lined up for a two point conversion.  Yet again, another trick play called by Coach Petersen, this time the "Statue of Liberty" play (which is a fake pass, then the running back takes the ball from behind the quarterbacks back).  Ian Johnson ran in the two point conversion for the win eliciting pandemonium everywhere.  Final score 43-42 Boise State.

This game had it all: scoring changes, overtime, trick plays, and even a marriage proposal.  After Ian Johnson ran in the successful two point conversion he ran over to his girlfriend and proposed right there on national TV, maybe he acted out of emotion after a life and program changing win, but good for those two.  The 2007 Fiesta Bowl will forever be in highlight reels.  A typical "David vs. Goliath" match up where the underdog pulled out every trick in the book, literally. 

Weekend Warrior

This is going to be a different blog than what most of you readers are used to from RedWhite&BlueSports.  This is a weekly segment called "Weekend Warrior" in which we'll talk about different sports aliments, how to prevent them, and how to treat them.  We decided to start this because Pat and myself are currently pursuing careers in the sports medicine field and feel that out expertise can help people out in something other than just sports talk.

Now, the first Weekend Warrior topic is a painful overuse injury known as shin splints.  Many athletes get shin splints at many different ages and a variety of different sports.  Shin splints is usually caused by excessive running, jumping, or sprinting and may take a very long time to heal.  Shin splints are commonly seen in sports that require a lot of running, such as cross country or basketball, but is not limited to these sports.  Furthermore, there are four different conditions that can make up shin splints and these can lead to more severe problems.  First is Chronic Compartment Syndrome which is swelling within the muscles of the leg limiting blood flow.  Next is just simply overused muscles which means that there is a constant soreness feeling in the shin area which could eventually lead to a stress fracture and could need an MRI to diagnosis it.  Flat feet, or the medical term "Pes Planus", is the most common cause of medial shin splints.  Flat feet cause the muscles to be overstretched, weakened, inflamed, and cause extreme pain in the athlete.  Finally, the last condition that can cause shin splints is tight calves.  When the calve becomes tight it can stretch out the muscles and tendons in the shin area causing pain in that area.

Most treatment for shin splints is simply RICE (Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation).  But there are other techniques that can help the healing process as well.  Anti-inflammatory drugs, such as prescription strength Ibuprofen, can be used to limit swelling and pain.  Next, simply just taping the lower leg, specifically the shin, can help stabilize the leg and help support the muscles and tendons.  Obviously, stretching is the next treatment available for shin splints, although it is a very conservative treatment, it can certainly help relieve pain and increase flexibility.  Specifically stretching of the calf and the plantar flexor muscles of the foot (a flexion in which the toes point downward).

In conclusion, if the athlete has supportive shoes and atleast one recovery day he or she should be able to avoid the painful, overuse injury known to many runners and jumpers as shin splints.