Mack's Sports Blog

6:13:49 PM EDT
Feeling Chillin'

Baseball is all revved up as the dog days of summer are almost gone and September seems just days away:

The Tigers are still the team to beat the American League. This team is the team that I always love to see. A team that has so much of that scrappy type of play and it wins on big home runs all the time. Its filled with guys many havnt heard this side of Detroit but they still sug the ball all over the place.

Young veterans like Marcus Thames and Craig Monroe are the fire power at the plate. These guys hit the ball all over the yard and it helps alot.

Another fact about this club is that they rely on that single or double to score a man on first or second instead of the big homerun. This is the thing commentators talk about whenever this situation arises. Don't go for the home run. Go for the single to load the bases or a sac bunt to move a guy over. It's exactly what needs to be taught in baseball today.

New York Yankees' Bobby Abreu heads for the dugout during practice Yankee Stadium Tuesday Aug. 1, 2006 in New York. The Yankees acquired Abreu and starting pitcher Cory Lidle from the Philadelphia Phillies on Sunday for four minor league prospects.

Meanwhile, the Yankees welcome Bobby Abreu as he scored a run last night in his debut, I beleive he was 0 for 3 with a walk. Yankee fans saw A-rod strike out and then hit a big double that I beleive scored a run. So A-rod kind of continues to slump which I think has been going on since the beginning of the season.

So the Yanks, White Sox and Twins continue the push for the A.L. Wild Card. The Yankees tied the Red Sox for first in the A.L. East and they are now tied with the White sox for the wild card. This is going to be a great finish in both the A.L. Wild card and A.L. East.

New York Mets' Carlos Beltran follows through on a two-run home run off Florida Marlins starting pitcher Scott Olsen in the third inning of a baseball game, Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2006, in Miami.

In the N.L., the Mets are dominating competition as the best team by far. Although they did lose a tough game last night to Marlins, they are still 21 games over .500. They have such a talented team and one of the men on this team could be an MVP candidate this year. Carlos Beltran has 33 homers and 96 RBI through today and that is the same as Albert Pujols home run wise. He is a good fielder and hits the ball so many times. He has been named N.L. player of the month. David Wright is also having a great season, he is a little to young for MVP talk and the numbers don't really show huge things. It's those unlooked at stats that Wright has which makes him a great player. By the Way, Oliver Perez and Roberto Hernandez are on the team thanks tro a trade that sent Xavier Nady to Pittsburgh.

The Cardinals have lost five in a row after last night's 5-3 loss to the Phillies but the main thing was:

Chase Utley's hitting streak continues to 33 straight games. This guy is such a great player and he has all the tools to be the main man in Philly for the next few years. Ryan Howard and Utley could lead this team to good things next year.

So that's the baseball report.

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5:29:16 PM EDT
Feeling Chillin'

The Washington Redskins made some key acquisitions in the offseason. They brought in a lot of fire power on the offensive side with two second tear wide recievers that could make them an 11 win team.

Brandon Lloyd is a guy that is big and he can run with the ball which makes good sense for this team. He averaged 45.8 yards per game last season and he was still on an offense that had alot of trouble passing the ball. Now that he is in Washington with a Redskins team that has such a great offensive line, he will be able to get the ball thrown down field to him more often.

Mark Brunell is going to need that offensive line because he is aging. He will be able to get rid of the ball more often with that all pro offensive line. Offensive line is the most important positon in football in my mind for the fact that the QB won't be a ble to get the ball out of his hands if the offensive line can't hold up the defenders.

Anyway, another great pickup for them was the speedster from Pittsburgh, Antwan Randle El. Randle El can do more for you then just catch the football. He can throw the football for you and most of all he can that usual punt returner, and what team doesn't need one of those? Randle El is so versatile that he can be a multi-tasker on offense. Heck, if you put him at cornerback, he could rush recievers like crazy. He will be an easy target downfield for guys like Brunell, who don't take long to let go of the ball in the pocket.

This offense now has some more room to do better with four good if not great wider recievers in Lloyd, Randle El, Santana Moss.

The defense is getting older. With the departure of Lavar Arrington, things will not be as easier. You have to admit, this team has let great players go. Fred Smoot, and Arrington are two of them.

Brunell is getting older and that o-line will help him if anything in the pocket. With those big recieveing options it will be much easier to have more completions and because of that, more touchdowns.

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4:21:40 PM EST
Feeling Happy

The A.L. East is up for grabs this year with the Blue Jays as the new kid in town. Who will take home the title? This division is up for grabs this year...

Blue Jays
I liked to see the Blue Jays acquire some hot bats & I think that it will help them tremendously. Troy Glaus is still young and still full of power. This team is very young and growing. I think the pitching is where they really did improve. Burnett has continuous talent that I believe will carry into this organization and continue to progress this year. The Jays are a team on the rise.

Yankees
Now on to the Yankees: The Bronx Bombers still need some helpers in the pitching department. I am still not at all convinced that they will be healthy enough to have a successful pitching season. Plus, Randy Johnson is getting older and will have to push even harder this year to be a good asset. Hitting wise, the story is a lot different. I believe this team has the best offense in baseball. They are absolutely flawless. The signing of Johnny Damon was just the icing on the cake. This lineup has potential hall of famers all over it. Good luck to anyone who thinks they can compete with the New York offense.

Red Sox
As for the Red Sox, I still have faith in them and I would love to see them win the division this year but the fact that they got rid of Damon really hurts them at the top of the order. Coco Crisp will fall a little short when it comes to replacing him. I like his chances, though. The pitching is strong, for the most part. Josh Beckett has come in and I think he can provide a solid year like last year when he posted 15 wins. He can use that statistic to beef up the wins category. Schilling only had eight wins last year. I know he is capable of better even though he is getting up there with age. Wakefield is always a good go, but he is on his way to retirement. The hitting will have to be the strong point on this team. Getting Mike Lowell helped them, and they still have Nixon, Manny and Oritz. I like their chances this year.

Devil Rays
The D-Rays are a rebuilding team with high hopes this year. They are not quite there yet but I think they're closer then everybody thinks. They will be competing with tough teams in this division. The pitching is slowly progressing. I love the young stars who are hitting well. Guys like Johnny Gomes, Aubrey Huff, and Delmon Young can make this club a competitor.

Orioles
The situation in Baltimore is simple. They went up, and then they went down. They just seem to have lost it all on the pitching side of things. I like Daniel Cabrera, but he is a little wild, which I think will play a factor in his success. Erik Bedard, Rodrigo Lopez, and John Maine combined for just 36 wins last year and 33 losses. They have potential but they need to win more. I don't like their chances with pitching. With hitting, it's a so-so situation. Miguel Tejada is probably the only guy that can hit. Javy Lopez could first base and he's not happy about it so his numbers might go down, he only had 15 homers last season. I see the Orioles as possibly the worst team in baseball.

Prediction for AL East Winners in 2006:
1. Yankees
2. Blue Jays
3. Red Sox
4. Devil-Rays
5. Orioles

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4:31:39 PM EST
Feeling Happy

The 2006 Major League Baseball season is upon us. Spring Training is in the air, and things could not feel better. With fantasy drafts up and running, the question is, are you ready for what could be the greatest season we’ve seen in years? I know I am.

Here are my top questions for the 2006 baseball season.

Can the New York Yankees win the World Series?

Well, this is definitely one of the most debatable questions coming into the season, because not everything is in place for New York quite yet. They were able to bring in Johnny Damon, which really should make this club even better offensively.

However, I’ve been reemphasizing this all off-season long -- why don’t they get the picture? Offense is not what they should be focusing on right now. They have the best offense in baseball. A killer lineup with sluggers everywhere.

There problem, I believe, is pitching.

Randy Johnson may have been cursed because of the "First year in New York" type of thing, but did you ever think that he could just be too old for this type of thing? He is getting older and he could be declining as his career comes to a close.

Carl Pavano is always questionable because of the injuries last year, and Jaret Wright seems to be the only guy that I can count on to come up big this year on that pitching staff.

Their bullpen is acceptable, but anything can always get better.

George Steinbrenner thinks they will win the World Series this year. We’ll see George, we’ll see.

Will Roger Clemens come back and have a good year, even if it’s still in Houston?

We don’t really know where Roger Clemens is even going this year, let alone having a good year. He could go to the Houston Astros, Texas Rangers, or even back to the Yankees.

He could go anywhere, but I don’t think that his performance will ever change. He’s the CY Young winner that we will never, ever see leave us. He has so much talent, it overlaps everything that you could see another pitcher do in his career.

Clemens will always go out there and be like a Peyton Manning in baseball. Always having unbelievable years, and making it seem like he will never leave the game.

He’s just that kind of guy that I really have faith in to always succeed in baseball, whatever team he’s on.

Will Barry Bonds become the new Home Run champion of all time?

This is probably the biggest question coming into this year. Barry Bonds has said, in public, that this is his final year in Major League Baseball. He will definitely break Babe Ruth’s record, but can he get to 756?

With his power, the answer is yes. But, the only risk is that he might get injured, which totally ruins the whole thing.

Bonds needs to have a great year, a normal year with no injuries. Then, on top of that, he has to make that extra effort because he’s 42 years old. If he was younger, then I would put a million bucks on him breaking the record, but the fact that he is a 42 year old player, it is going to be harder.

Don’t expect him to come in and do what he normally does for this San Francisco Giants team because they hare a new and improved team with young talent. They are not going to waste and pay more attention to Bonds. It will be a whole different scenario in San Francisco.

Can the White Sox repeat as World Series Champions?

Of course they can, because they won it all last year. So, who’s to say they can’t do it again this year? However, there are some changes.

With fan-favorite Aaron Rowand off to Philadelphia, the team acquired veteran first baseman Jim Thome. The hope is to make the team a better one by backing up Paul Konerko at first base, and sliding him in at the DH position.

Young centerfielder, Brian Anderson will be tested this year, as he takes over Rowand’s spot, which will be hard to fill.

The pitching is still good, but even better. With the acquisition of journeyman Javier Vasquez, the team looks like they have the upper hand.

I hope that we will see another great year out of Jose Contreras. Maybe this is the start of a big run.

The White Sox definitely have a shot at repeating as World Series champions.

The AL East is up for grabs, but who has the upper hand?

This division turned from one of the most predictable divisions in baseball, to one of the most dynamic divisions in baseball.

The Yankees have lowered their status and are now on the same page as the Boston Red Sox.

The Blue Jays have brought in A.J. Burnett and Troy Glaus, just two of the many power hitters that Toronto has on their squad. They will most certainly be the team to watch in this division for one reason and one reason only. They look like the Baltimore Orioles of last year, coming into the season with a lot of pride, starting it out well and then losing it all.

I wouldn’t want to see that happen because I want to see the Yankees get a run for their money in New York and learn that they are not the only team that can win this division.

The Red Sox look more solid then ever, even though they lost Damon. They replaced him with Coco Crisp in centerfield, which will really bring more speed to the speed-hungry Boston club.

Will the Indians make the playoffs?

This is a great question to elaborate on. Cleveland fell one game short of making the post-season last year, and this year will be their year to break out and make the post-season.

I have a lot of faith in this club because they have a great team at every aspect. The pitching is very strong, the hitting is great and the management is a veteran style that knows the game of baseball.

They should have no problem making the playoffs this season because they are a great all-around baseball team. It’s as simple as that.

Travis Hafner should be in for another solid year, with Cliff Lee and C.C. Sabathia on the mound doing their job to get this team wins. They deserved post-season last year, and they’ll get it this year.

With a slew of new rookies coming in, can the Giants make a run at October?

The Giants are a new and improved baseball team with talent coming in at all ends. The rookies on the pitching staff will really get a feel for what MLB is all about.

Two guys on the club that stand out -- Matt Kinney and Brian Cooper -- are 11-year vets, but still seem pretty young. They seem to have the experience, but never really pitched in big game situations. They can lead this club.

Also, there's Noah Lowry who has the potential to be a very elite starter on this club and help make them into a playoff team, while Matt Cain has star qualities as well.

There are a lot of aspects right now that are good for San Francisco. The one thing I really like about this team is that they have a mix of a lot of veterans and a lot of rookies on the same squad.

Normally you’d think this is not a very good mix, but the veterans like Moises Alou, Randy Winn and Steve Finley, are not selfish players. I feel very good things coming for the Giants in ’06.

Well, those are my key questions for 2006. Are they the same as yours? If you would like to comment, please email me with any thoughts at LEFTY120491@yahoo.com.

Those were the days...

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10:36:05 AM EST
Feeling Happy

There are a lot of pitchers getting ready to play in Major League Baseball this year. A lot of these pitchers had great years last season, but are not quite there yet in terms of being labeled a "star." These pitchers are among many in MLB who are young, hard throwing and talented.

Here are five flamethrowers that are in for great season in 2006 and ready to take on that label.

Dontrelle Willis, Florida Marlins
Dontrelle Willis had one for the ages last year, winning 22 games and falling just so short of the CY Young award, losing out to Chris Carpenter. He was able to win 11 games at home, which really helped him out. This year will be a very different story. The Marlins have dumped the payroll, and removed almost every one of their opening day players from last year. Plus, they have brought in former Yankees catcher, Joe Girardi, as manager. This was a great move because Girardi will really be able to help out Willis so that the rest of the team does better as well. Willis has the talent, and this year it will be tested.

Rich Harden, Oakland Athletics
Rich Harden had a solid year last year, holding opponents to just a .201 batting average. He also went 10-5, which was pretty good considering the fact that he was out with injuries a few times. His ERA is 2.54, and he stands at 26-16 for his career. All great numbers. I see high hopes for this kid this season. He is a little injury-prone, but I don’t see that hurting him in the long run. His hits per nine innings also seem to be decreasing every year. Stay tuned for a good season from Harden.

Zach Duke, Pittsburgh Pirates
This guy might be a little bit of a stretch. He is extremely young on a club that is rising and might have a chance in 2006. He won his first six decisions in the majors. He’s only 22 years old, and his ERA was incredible last year at 1.81. That’s awesome. Against Duke, left-handed batters hit just .146, which is a great number for a pitcher that young. He also gave up just three home runs last year. Duke will probably have another solid season, but I think it will take him just a little while to get settled and become one of the elite pitchers in baseball.

Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Scott Kazmir, who was ranked fourth in the American League in strikeouts last season with 74, is one of the most underrated pitchers in all of baseball. In an interview with ESPN.com, Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar said of facing Kazmir in a batting practice session, "I've never seen a young left-hander who throws that hard, and his ball moves that much." It’s seems like nothing but good stuff for Kazmir coming into this season. I believe he has taken that step into veteran-hood where he is not like the new kid on the block trying to get along. Now he seems like he knows what he’s doing and it really looks like he can grow into a very talented player in baseball. Watch out because in 2006, something very talented this way comes in Kazmir.

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
Hernandez is closer to the category of "star" than, let’s say, Duke. A rookie in baseball last year, he had an impressive 2.67 ERA, but went 4-4 because the Mariners failed to produce. That could be a different story this year. Hernandez will eventually turn into an extremely talented pitcher. We will just have to wait and see how he progresses over the 2006 season.

Those are just five of many of the nice young arms rising to the top in 2006. Should be fun.

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1:55:21 PM EST
Feeling Happy

Coming into baseball this year, there are a lot of hitters who can take it to the next level. Those who were at the top of the class last year can be teachers of the class this year. As I already mentioned, this year some hitters that had great years last year can take it to a level of greatness. Those types of hitters can soon be mentioned in the same sentence as maybe Alex Rodriguez. Boy, would I love to see that happen. Here are some top batters for 2006:

David Wright, Mets

Being a die-hard Met fan, Wright is one of my favorite players to watch out there. He brings a lot of excitement to the game of baseball. At just 23 years of age, he slugged 27 home runs putting him in second place in that category on the Mets roster in 2005. He also had 102 RBI’s last year, making 2005 his best year in the majors. He has a versatile mood on the field which can at times carry over to the dish. In the national league, he had the eighth best batting average of .306, and he also had the tenth best RBI total in the National league, tying Bobby Abreu. If things keep up like this for young Wright, his future is no where but up.

 

Michael Young, Rangers

Young is 29 years old coming into 2006 and has some firepower that he is waiting to unleash. Young hit 24 homers last year, and drove in 91 RBI’s. This year was by far, his best year in baseball.  After a good couple of years playing next to Alex Rodriguez which really helped, he racked up 221 hits last year, leading baseball in that category, which really says a lot for a young man flourishing in this league. His talent continues to rise because his fielding percentage is very appealing, .974 in ’05.  Michael is about to enter the years of his prime, it should be fun.

 

Joe Mauer, Twins

Joe Mauer is an underrated veteran catcher for the Twins who had a solid year in 2005. After a 2004 rookie campaign filled with knee injury, Mauer it centerstage when he started 131 games for last year. "He's healthy now,'' Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said in an interview with ESPN.com.”His knee got checked out at the end of the year. No problems. It looks great. Everything is fantastic. He's a stud. … This young man is a real deal.'' Well, if Mauer is going to make it in baseball, his hitting stats will have to rise just a little bit. With 9 homers and 55 RBI’s in ’05, his hitting should either retain, or regain in ’06.  

 

Carl Crawford, Devil Rays

On a Tampa Bay team that was trying it’s best to rebuild in 2005, the center of attention turns slightly to Carl Crawford. Crawford is not your average left fielder that goes out there everyday and get’s the job done. He does much more then that. He plays hard, versatile baseball that is not to be fooled around with. Crawford had the sixth most hits in the American League last year, with 194, tying none other then A-rod. He had the third most steals in the AL last year, with 46 and also managed to slug his way to 15 homers and 81 RBI’s. But his most memorable stat had to 15 triples, leading major league baseball. I told you so; this guy can do it all. He’ll have some help this year as former Angel’s bench coach Joe Maddon comes in as the new manager. After working with the likes of young talents in Anaheim Maddon should feel right at home in TampaBay.

 

Johnny Damon, Yankees

This pick may have already expired if you know what I mean as Damon has already done what has been required to be one of the top hitters in baseball. Coming just three hits short of 200 last year, he had the seventh best total in baseball. Johnny also hit 35 doubles last year, which should grow to new heights on a team like the Yankees. He is known for his sleek presence at the top of thelineup, and New York is no different. Signing with the Yanks this off-season, Damon should be in for another monster year. 

 

Those are just some of the many hitters that are in for a great 2006 season.

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1:36:09 PM EST
Feeling Happy

This past season, Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers did not do very well. Things were on the downside for Favre as he was sacked too many times and threw too many interceptions.

Now Green Bay, which went 4-12 in 2005, is on the rebound and looking to possibly become a playoff team next year. Prior to the 2005 season, there was a lot of speculation that Favre would retire. Well, he came back for another year and now the time has come for him to make the same decision.

Favre has accomplished everything an NFL player can do in his career. He has been versatile, mobile and everything in between. He has a great throwing arm, which led him to two straight Super Bowl appearances, including a 35-21 rout of Bill Parcell's New England Patriots in the 1998 season. He is a premier quarterback with very good game plans that have affected him and the rest of his teammates throughout his NFL campaign.

Favre also has a very caring and giving personality. Over the last couple of years, he has dealt with many emotional tragedies and still has been able to put up monster numbers on the field. It's not just the stats that count in this league. If you have the emotional perspective and the ''I'm a team player" personality, you are going to be liked by other people.

Favre is an original guy who declined going anywhere else if he was to stay in the NFL for another season. He knows the Packer's system, and he won a Super Bowl under that system, so it makes sense that he would not want to have to make the adjustment to another team.

In my opinion, Favre should retire. He has received his deserved credit in the NFL, and has had an amazing career. If he stays another year and ends up doing just as bad or even worse then last year, things will not be good. He should end it right now before things get worse.

There is nothing else that we need to see him go through. I know that I don’t want to see him get injured and be forced to retire. I would much rather just see him retire now after a great career, not after a career ending injury.

He has done a lot for football, but now it's time to go.

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6:13:01 PM EST
Feeling Happy

Congrats to the Steelers who won their fifth Super Bowl title last Sunday and what a great game it was.

Everybody made contributions to the success of this team this year and it was really all about the team this year which is very important in winning games. They didn't lack confidence and faith in theirselves which proved to be the turning point in the Super Bowl. That part went in their favor.

Ben Roethlisberger did not have a great game overall but definitely made the committment to the team's success.

Great job Steel, we'll see you in Miami next year but without Jerome Bettis...

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5:02:35 PM EST
Feeling Happy

Super Bowl Forty is in less then a week. Congratulations Mike Holmgren, and of course Ben Roethlisberger and the Boys from Pitt. How could we leave them out, right? And what about Shaun Alexander in Seattle. Maybe that twenty seven straight days of rain helped a little bit, right? Maybe it just might give the Hawks the mentality to rain all over Pittsburgh for sixty straight minutes of gratifying football.

Here's my super bowl preview.

The Coaches:

1. Bill Cowher has done an amazing job this year with the Steelers. The fact that we saw them early in the year looking like they were going to fall apart and then come all the way back and do this is just an amazing thing to do in the NFL. Especially in football where it's really the hardest thing to do. To come all the way back and make the Super Bowl after a season where everyone came together on this team and did every little thing possible to stick together and to win football games is just satisfying, to say the least. Cowher is not the journeyman type coach. He's been in Pittsburgh since the early 90's and has been waiting for this moment. Good luck.

2. At the beginning of this year, people in the NFL were speculating that Mike Holmgren was on his way out. Many thought of the Seahawks as the worst team of this year. Well, whoever thought that was wrong. Holmgren is the man with experience winning one super bowl in Green Bay and reaching two. He is ready to go, he has an original game plan that has worked for him all year long. The fact that he has led the Seahawks to 10-0 regular season record at home is astounding. What a job done by Holmgren and his staff.

EDGE: Cowher, simply because of the willingness and the confidence he has had and he has stayed with this team for over a decade. He has not given up.

The Offenses:

1. The Steelers have a feisty offensive unit that is not afraid to try something different. This year, they dealt with injuries to their star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and their all-pro running back Jerome Bettis in a good way that has led them to victories. Roethlisberger is lucky for the fact that he has some great receivers to throw to including Hines Ward and Antoine Randle El. He runs the ball sometimes and is very versatile in the pocket which can help him get down the field very quickly. Willie Parker will have to get the blocking he needs to get down field. It looks to me like they will be switching off between Bettis and Parker as they have done for most of this year. Their offensive line will have to step it up a bit and block Seattle's defense up front to give Big Ben some room to throw.

2. Matt Hasselbeck is in a way, very similar to Roethlisberger in the sense that he will let go of the ball on the run and can run the ball himself alot if he has to. He can let loose on the ball as well. He also hase some dense wide receivers that he can throw to including Darrell Jackson and Babby Engram. These guys should help. And how can we forget Seneca Wallis, the quarterback turned wide receiver who helped this team get to the super bowl last week. Shaun Alexander should be very pumped up as he continues to flow on the ground getting some great gains last week against Carolina. This Pittsburgh defense will be the real test for Alexander coming into this week.
   

EDGE: Seahawks, they just have more strong points and seemed to be more of a poised unit.

The Defenses:

1. Pittsburgh has a skilled and intensified defensive unit that can stop really anything. They were third in rushing defense during the regular season which Shaun Alexander is going to have to watch out for on Sunday. Guys like James Farrior, Troy Polomalu, and Chris Hope are going to be the important guys to look out for on defense.
   
2. It's funny because the Seahawks are also a great team on the defensive rushing front, ranking fifth in the league during the regular season. Lofa Tatupa is the leader of this defense, and even though he is only a rookie out there, he will have a lot to offer. Remember last week when he knocked out Nick Goings? Hey, maybe the Pittsburgh running game won't even be a factor in this one.
   

EDGE: Steelers, they just have more to offer.

Overall, both of these team are great. They show so many strong points that will help them to make their case to win the big game. They both have just as good of a chance as the other win this game. The Steelers have a feisty unit that they will be putting on the line against a number 1 seeded Seahawks team that is looking to capture their first Super Bowl in franchise history. Good luck to both.

Oh, yeah how could I possibly forget my pick?

It's the Steelers.

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6:23:50 PM EST
Feeling Happy

Okay, we all know that Kobe Bryant has something to prove in this league, right?

Okay, as long as were both on the same page, does Bryant match up to the standards of Michael Jordan--dare I say it--the greatest player in NBA history?

Kobe Bryant is definitely star quality in the NBA of 2006, but is he getting the same playing standards as Jordan did? Is this fair or unfair to Bryant. I mean, Kobe is one heck of a ball handler, scoring 81 points against the Raptors in LA earlier this week. But, hey. That's just one game.

On the other hand, consider the teammates Kobe plays around, Lamar Odom, Smush Parker. Are they even his friends? No, to be precise. And that's exactly the difference between the two. When Jordan played for the championship Chicago Bulls teams of the mid-90's, is thrived and was pushed by his teammates to win. They had faith in him and they wanted him to win, well not exactly. But, they had more of a friendship with Jordan.

In LA, it's much more of a different scenario. Kobe Bryant is the Lion, and the LA Lakers are fleas that the Lion will eventually pounce on. He has tension with his teammates, and that contributes to the lack of effort that is displayed by the Lakers. They are not a great team, and they have to realize that before you see Bryant practicing for a 100 point game in a Los Angeles gym. It's about the team, hey ask Peyton Manning.

Last year, Manning broke the record for touchdown passes in a year. Every time he was asked about the record he got off the subject and talked about the team. He wanted the team to do good enough to go to a super bowl, weather he broke the record or not, and that is what comes in a team leader.

Bryant, on the other hand, lacks that `the team comes first' mentality. Jordan didn't either. He was a leader, and in my book that's the first thing I look for when I measure greatness, especially in the National Basketball Association, where playing a team game is first on anyone's list.

Bryant, better shape up or else this season will be a forgetful one. The Lakers can be a great team, they're just to busy leaning on Kobe all the time for the points. Take matters into your own hands, change a play around a little bit to involve other players. I'm not saying that doesn't happen, but it could happen more. Michael Jordan obviously did not concentrate on himself first because his career high for points in a game was 69, and that was in an overtime game. The Lakers are headed in the wrong direction if Bryant keeps putting up these types of performances. All we see in the newspaper is how KOBE is doing this and KOBE is doing that. Let's hear a little more about the Lakers and how they are progressing, I think we know that Kobe is having a good season already.

So, let's get a move on. After all, there's no "Kobe Bryant" in "Lakers".

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