NBA Lockout

The NBA is depicted by many as the most corrupt of the four professional sports leagues in the United States and for good reason too. Whether it is because Tim Donaghy admitted to betting on games during his tenure as a referee or the Cleveland Cavaliers getting the #1 pick after Lebron James left, the entire way the league operates leaves suspicions in the minds of many fans.

Who is to blame for the league's second lockout in the last decade? Many point the finger at David Stern. How Mr. Stern is still employed is surprising to me given that he is the only current commissioner to experience two lockouts under his rule that involved missing games. The NFL went through a long lockout this past summer but was able to push a deal through before missing any games. The NHL cancelled the entire 04-05 season because the league was on the brink of shutting down. The league had to overhaul its entire financial system in order to stay afloat which is a completely different circumstance than what the NBA has dealt with the past two lockouts. Major League Baseball also dealt with a lockout in the 94-95 season that led to cancelling of games but since that time, baseball has thrived despite the steroid controversy in the earlier part of the decade. Stern's tenure as commissioner has been a disaster in more ways than just dealing with the two separate lockouts.

A few months ago, it was reported that 22 out of the 30 teams in the NBA lost money this past season. This is surprising given that Stern himself said that this past season was one of the most successful NBA seasons in recent memory. It has also been rumored that unless the NBA can lower player salaries and institute a hard salary cap, lower market teams like the Sacramento Kings and the New Orleans Hornets would be contracted, which would allow for the creation of more super teams like the Miami Heat since there are fewer teams and more superstars available to sign. This would be a bad business move by the NBA because their reach would be limited to markets that have a team as and also because some teams would drastically be better than others.

Another huge mistake David Stern has made during his reign as commissioner is not working with the NCAA to come up with an age requirement in order to enter the NBA draft. The NBA is the only league that doesn't have a successful minor league system that develops players into superstars. Both Major League Baseball and the NHL have successful minor leagues systems that allow players to be drafted out of high school. If the player decides to forgo college, he is placed in these minor league systems to develop for a lengthy period of time until he is ready for the big show. The NFL uses the NCAA as its minor league system in that the players have to attend college for three years before applying for the NFL draft. These players mature both physically and mentally during their college experience so when they are drafted, they don't have to wait long before contributing to their team.

The NBA has a "minor league system" in the D league, however, the league is a joke and no one that has played in the D league has ever amassed success in the NBA. This is due to a lack of talent in the D league. The NBA hasn't failed in terms of players not producing on the court. We have seen young players like John Wall and Lebron James come in and dominate the league despite their age. The NBA's failure is due to the product not being as good as it can and should be as well as the diluting of the marketplace by the mediocre players who never fully developed and fill the teams rosters. If the NBA was to create an age barrier that required players to attend two to three years of college, this would drastically improve the players skill sets coming out of college and into the NBA as well as add value to the NBA's brand.

Because the NBA has allowed young, immature men to come into the league, it has made it difficult for the NBA to negotiate with the players. Many of the star players joined the NBA right out of high school and despite their age today, they still have the maturity of a teenager because they never had a social or educational structure in place to help them mature during the early stages of their lives. These players have been pampered ever since they first stepped foot in the NBA so they haven't needed to change their attitude or mature like most normal people do as they grow up. This has caused the players to feel entitled and not be reasonable when negotiating since they want what suits them best. The players don't realize or understand that their demands could very well end the NBA in the near future because of the insane salaries that some of the players are requesting.

The biggest mistake of the Stern tenure is the focusing more on individual players rather than the team. In all the major sports, the media focuses on the star player of the team. However, in the other three leagues, the team brand is more valuable and important to the sport than a single players brand. The other leagues are profiting off their plan of focusing on the league first with the players being a supplement to the league compared to the NBA which is declining because they view the player identity as more important than adding value to their brand. Sidney Crosby and Alex Ovechkin are the main stars of their respected teams and the NHL today. However, the way the NHL markets and brands these players, especially around playoff time is drastically different than the NBA's marketing of Kobe or Lebron. The media commentary around Crosby and Ovechkin revolves around their team during pre game and post game where as the commentary regarding NBA players is specifically about the star player and not about his team. During the 2011 NBA finals, all anyone wanted to talk about was how bad Lebron James played. Granted he was terrible, but no one wanted to talk about how his teammates like Chris Bosh stepped up or how the Mavericks team philosophy overcame the individually minded Miami Heat.

Another example of the NBA failing when it comes to branding a team is when the San Antonio Spurs were making their title runs. The Spurs were a team based organization with low profile "stars" and because they lacked superstardom, the NBA had trouble exploiting the individualistic, superstar nature that they crave which caused the Finals ratings to dip. When people think of the Pittsburgh Steelers or the New York Yankees, they aren't thinking about Ben Roethlisberger or Derek Jeter. They are thinking about the tradition of these organizations because these are global brands that are built on the "team" concept despite the fact that they have had a history of superstars play for them. When people think of the Los Angeles Lakers or the Boston Celtics today, they are thinking more about present individuals like Kobe Bryant and Paul Pierce, rather than reflecting on the tradition of the brand like past championships for example.

David Stern has single-handedly diminished the NBA's brand during his tenure and has endorsed an environment that has led to the lockout of today. He should be held responsible and a new leader with a new vision should replace him as commissioner of the NBA.

MLB Playoff Preview- ALDS

It has finally come down to this. The final 8 teams have now been decided after epic collapses by the Boston Red Sox and Atlanta Braves. This should be an exciting playoffs with the teams that are in so lets get started.

Tampa Bay Rays vs Texas Rangers

Tampa Bay is riding a wave of momentum after coming back from 9 games in September to steal a playoff spot on the last day of the regular. Nobody, including myself, expected them to be as successful as they were this season, let alone make the playoffs. The Rays have one of the best starting rotations in the playoffs with ace David Price, James Shield, Jeremy Hellickson and top prospect Matt Moore getting the surprise start for game 1. The Rays also have incredible speed up and down the lineup with the likes of Desmond Jennings, BJ Upton, Sam Fuld and Sean Rodriguez to name a few. Along with this, they have love to take chances by stealing bases, executing hit and runs and even suicide squeezes. The Rays also only committed 73 errors all year which lead the American League for fewest errors this season. The Rays have two flaws however. First, their bullpen is extremely young and hasn't pitched in this type of situation before. They lost almost their entire bullpen from a season ago so this years bullpen is a completely new cast of characters. Second, outside of Evan Longoria, the Rays don't have a steady hitter that is consistently reliable and can get the team out of a whole. Many of the players including Jennings and Upton, have gone through long slumps and if the Rays can't get their offense going early, it will be a long series for them.

Texas is also riding a hot streak of their own. The Rangers won 13 of their last 15 including their last six to win home field advantage for the ALDS. Like the Rays, many doubted the Rangers would make it this far after losing Cliff Lee this offseason to the Philadelphia Phillies. This years Rangers team may even be a better all around team this last years team that went to the World Series. The Rangers have what many think is the most potent lineup from top to bottom when it comes to power and speed. The Rangers have some really heavy hitters like Ian Kinsler, Josh Hamilton, Michael Young, Adrian Beltre and Mike Napoli who have all had tremendous seasons. Like the Rays, the Rangers also contain some speedsters as well like Kinsler and Elvis Andrus who stole 67 bases between the two of them. The Rangers will also have a really deep bench this year compared to last with the likes of Endy Chavez, David Murphy, Craig Gentry and 2010 playoff hero Mitch Moreland all coming off the bench. The Rangers also have a really strong bullpen and according to most experts, it is the best bullpen in the playoffs. The Rangers bullpen mixes heat throwers like Neftali Feliz, Mike Adams and Alexi Ogando with soft throwers like Koji Uehara and Darren Oliver. While Feliz went through a rough patch during the season, he still was able to get the job done and was untouchable in last years playoffs. The Rangers have one glaring weakness and that is starting pitching. CJ Wilson has been really consistent this year, but on occasion he has control issues which can lead to trouble like in last years ALCS game in Yankee stadium. Colby Lewis, last years huge surprise, has had a similar year this year as last in that he pitched pretty well but he is hit or miss with his starts. Some starts he is great and some starts he is terrible. Behind Wilson and Lewis are unproven playoff pitchers in Derek Holland and Matt Harrison. Holland has had a great year and has finally become the pitcher the Rangers thought he would be. Holland only received limited relief innings in last years playoffs so it will be interesting how he adapts to beings the #2 starter. Harrison missed last years playoffs and had a pretty good bounce back year after coming off an injury the season before. The Rangers success will hinge on their starting rotation.

Prediction: I believe the winner of this series will ultimately make it to the World Series. Both are riding high on momentum and I feel that both present major problems to the Yankees and Tigers. The Rays will keep it close in every game, but I believe their over dependence on Longoria will provide problems when the Rangers pitch around him and force the other players to beat them. I believe the Rangers will win this series in 5 games.

Detroit Tigers vs New York Yankees

Detroit is returning to the playoffs for the first time since their 2006 World Series appearance. With some stellar starting pitching, clutch hitting and a great closer, the Tigers will be a very tough out for the Yankees. With the likes of Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez and Alex Avila, the Tigers have mashed their way to a 95 win season. The Tigers approach at the plate is very old school in that they take a lot of pitches, get clutch hits and take what the opposing pitchers give them. Along with this, the Tigers also have a CY Young and MVP candidate in Justin Verlander who has been virtually unhittable all season. Verlander, a 25 game winner, will take the mound for the Tigers in game 1 and will look to his team on the right track. The Tigers also have Doug Fister and Max Scherzer who have also been very reliable throughout the season. Lastly, the back end of the Tiger bullpen has been incredible. Joaquin Benoit lived up to the massive contract he received from the Tigers this offseason which had many scratching their heads. To go with Benoit, the Tigers closer Jose Valverde has been perfect in save situations this season and recorded 49 saves for the Tigers. The Tigers pitchers love to throw heat and first pitch strikes which could pose problems for the Yankees since they are very patient at the plate.

New York has been the best team all year in the American League despite some very shaky starting pitching. The Yankees have a very powerful lineup with MVP candidate Curtis Granderson, Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez and Robinson Cano. The Yankees scored the second most runs in all the Major Leagues and has been crushing the ball of late. CC Sabathia will lead the starting rotation in hopes of getting the team back to the World Series. Sabathia was 19-8 on the year and has been one of the Major Leagues best the past couple of seasons. Behind Sabathia, however, the Yankees rotation is inexperienced and unreliable. Ivan Nova had a very successful season going 16-4 and looks to take that momentum into the playoffs as he has been tabbed the #2 starter. Nova's only problem is that he is young and has never started a playoff game before. While many say the playoffs aren't any different then the regular season, the fact is it is extremely different especially with regard to the quality of teams as well as the umpire strike zone. Freddy Garcia, the Yankees #3 starter for the playoffs, had a nice comeback season after dealing with injuries and inconsistency in the past few years. The Yankees will need him to continue pitching well if they will have any shot of beating the Tigers. Starting Garcia over Aj Burnett is the right call in my opinion. Burnett has been a disastrous signing for the Yankees and has consistently put up poor performances both in the regular season and post season. Not only did he get kicked around this season, but he also was demolished in the ALCS by the Rangers last year so the Yankees are being wise in putting him in the bullpen and going with a three man rotation. Another problem for the Yankees is their bullpen. While Mariano Rivera is still great, he has proven to be mortal this year by blowing five saves this year. Despite this, I believe Rivera will be reliable when called upon because he is the best postseason pitcher ever and he kicks it into a second gear when the playoffs come around. The bigger problem is the rest of the bullpen especially Rafael Soriano. Soriano underperformed this year by blowing three saves and having an ERA over 4.00. Soriano wasn't as reliable as he was last year with the Tampa Bay Rays,but he will have to be on his A game not only to get the game to Rivera in the 9th, but also if the Yankees expect to make it back to the World Series.

Prediction: If the Tigers are going to win this series, they absolutely have to win tonight. This would give them a huge advantage since Verlander will also pitch game five of this series. I believe the Tigers will win tonight, however, I expect the Yankees to bounce back and force a deciding game five. Although the Yankees have some glaring weaknesses, I believe they will overcome them in this series against the Tigers, but they will need to fix them before their next series. I believe the Yankees will win this series in 5 games.

NCAA Realignment Culprit

Hello everyone. It has been way too long since my last post which is my fault for letting school come first before discussing my real passion of sports. Today's topic is NCAA Realignment.

Whose fault is it that the NCAA is about to change to four conferences consisting of 16 teams. Certainly it must be UT's for the creation of the Longhorn Network right? The creation of the Longhorn Network put many schools in a tizzy and is portrayed as the cause of realignment. UT is not the cause behind realignment. The fact is the other Big 12 schools, including Texas A@M, knew that not only was the Longhorn Network being created at last year's realignment talk, but also the programming that would appear on it. The fact is A@M's board of regents were "butt hurt" by the fact that UT was given this opportunity and they weren't. In fact, UT approached the Aggies five years ago with the idea of creating the "Lonestar Network" which would be a shared regional network between the Longhorns and the Aggies. Texas A@M declined because they didn't believe it would create enough revenue compared to its start up costs. When A@M realized the network was worth the investment, it was too late because the Longhorns realized they could do it on their own by partnering with ESPN so A@M should be kicking themselves rather than putting the blame on the Longhorns. Lastly, it doesn't matter if the network was for Texas, Oklahoma, USC, Baylor, or Michigan, the fact is, every college in America would have jumped all over ESPN's $300 million offer to create their own network. The fact is there are only five teams that had the ability to create their own network (Texas,USC,Alabama,Florida, Michigan) and Texas generates the most athletic revenue every year hence why ESPN went to the Longhorns first. If the Longhorns had denied, they would have gone after someone else.

This means it must be the Aggies fault since the shift started happening when they decided to take it upon themselves to get out of Texas' shadow by applying to the SEC right? Wrong again. While what the Aggies did was extremely radical, who's to say Michigan State wouldn't have done the same thing if Michigan were offered the network instead of UT. The Aggies were tired of being second fiddle and wanted to start fresh in a new conference that they knew UT wouldn't join because of the high academic standards UT has compared to the SEC schools. The reason why the Aggies leaving is radical is because by leaving the Big 12, they will make less TV revenue in the SEC than they currently make in Big 12. The Aggies also have to pay an exit fee in the area of $15 to $20 million just to join the SEC. Contrary to popular belief, the exit fee is not being provided by the SEC so the Aggies are taking a huge financial hit, as well as joining a more difficult conference.

No, the real culprit behind college realignment is Big 12 Commissioner Dan Beebe. Why you ask? Two reasons. First, when Nebraska and Colorado left, the Big 12 was reactive rather than proactive. Instead of trying to replace those TV markets, Beebe believed that the remaining Big 12 teams would stay because they would make more in TV revenue, since there were two fewer teams. What he didn't think through is if one of the remaining teams left, the entire conference would fall apart.

There were very attractive options available to the Big 12 at the time to fill in for the departing teams. BYU was leaving the Mountain West Conference because they were being shafted by the conference with their team network. By snatching BYU, this could have provided two things for the Big 12. First and foremost it could've replaced the Denver market that was lost with Colorado's departure. Salt Lake City is the #33 television market compared to Denver which is #18. BYU not only has a strong fan base, but they are also strong in other non football sports like basketball. Secondly this might have helped other teams in the Big 12 get used to a team having their own network. While BYU's network is non profit based, it has all the other features that the Longhorn Network currently has. TCU was also available and was also leaving the Mountain West Conference to pursue Big East membership. With the acquisition of both of these schools, the Big 12 could've not only protected itself from realignment, but also the rest of the NCAA.

The second mistake Beebe made was with the television contracts. The Big 12 has constantly been near the bottom when it comes to TV revenue. This isn't because of the teams in the conference, but because of Beebe's lack of ability to brand the Big 12 as a viable and attractive conference. The SEC has been branded as the best football conference. The Big East has been branded as the best Basketball conference. Beebe's lack of ability to brand his own conference caused Regional Sports Networks to short change the Big 12 and pay them less compared to other conferences. Beebe could've branded the conference as the "Rivalry Conference" with historic rivalries like Texas- Oklahoma, Texas- Texas A@M, Oklahoma- Oklahoma State etc. Lastly, the Big 12 was the only major conference to not have equal revenue sharing. This created tension among all the schools, which could've been prevented by Beebe if he had included equal revenue sharing in the new Big 12 TV deal that he signed this past April.

While many are pointing the finger at each other, the finger should be pointed at the top. You live with good leadership and die with bad leadership. The Big 12 is living proof that bad leadership can only take you so far.

Big 12 Preview Part 2

Sorry for the delay folks. I had a midterm and a final to study for over the past couple of days but I'm back. A quick word before I start the evaluations of these teams. Technically, the Big 12 is no longer divided into a North and South Division in thanks to the departures of Colorado and Nebraska. However, I figured it would be easier to separate the teams via geographic location and thought including 10 teams in one post would be too much.

Without much further here are my previews for the remaining teams left in the Big 12

Iowa State- The Cyclones have shown flashes of success over the past two seasons under Paul Rhodes. Two years ago, the Cyclones finished 7-6 and won the Insight Bowl over Minnesota. It was the first bowl game for the Cyclones in four years. Last year, however, the Cyclones struggled to get consistent play and despite great wins over Texas Tech and Texas, the Cyclones finished 5-7 and missed out on a bowl appearance.

The Cyclones lose a lot from last year's team including QB Austen Arnaud, RB Alexander Robinson and TE Collin Franklin. Both Arnaud and Robinson were the predominant playmakers for the Cyclones over the past couple of years in the spread option and Franklin was Arnaud's favorite receiver the past two seasons. It will be very difficult for the Cyclones to replace their leading receiver, rusher and passer and expect to be successful this season.

The offense will be turned over to junior QB Jerome Tiller, who in limited action, contributed some scoring drives for the Cyclones last season. Sophomore RB Shontrelle Johnson also returns to help give the Cyclone offense a boost and hopes to continue where he left off last season. Johnson is one of the fastest players in the country and it should be interesting to see how defenses react from him getting more carries this season as opposed to splitting carries with the power back Robinson.

The defense also returns much of the starting 11 from last season in hopes that it will be able to make up for any difficulties that the offense may deal with throughout the season. Rhodes energy can not be taken for granted either. He brings the most out of his kids with his enthusiasm and his kids love playing for him.

The schedule doesn't look promising for a team looking to replace most of its offensive firepower from a year ago. The Cyclones have road games against UConn, Missouri, Texas Tech and Oklahoma as well as home games against Iowa, Texas, Oklahoma State and Texas A@M.

Prediction: Despite the recent successes under Paul Rhodes, it is very difficult to see the Cyclones having any sort of success this year. With the difficult schedule to offensive inexperience, I expect the Cyclones to struggle throughout the year despite giving it all they have in every game. I see the Cyclones lone win occurring in week 1 against Northern Iowa and have them finishing 1-10 overall.

Kansas- The Jayhawks look to bounce back from last year's 3-9 campaign. This will be the 2nd year of the Turner Gill era and possibly the last if the team has similar results to last year. The Jayhawks offense was anemic all last season to go with an inconsistent defense. The Jayhawks allowed more than 30 points in 7 of their games and scored 10 or less points in 5 of their games last season.

QB Jordan Webb returns to lead a Jayhawks offense that in reality can't get any worse than it was last year. Webb threw more interceptions than touchdowns last season and will need to improve his decision making if the Jayhawks have any shot of finishing above .500. RB James Sims also returns to help give the offense some balance. Sims ran for over 740 yards and 9 touchdowns and was the only consistent offensive threat last season. The Jayhawks will also return most of their offensive line which should help protect Webb in the pocket.

The defense returns most of the front seven which should help a unit that finished last in points per game against and turnovers in the Big 12 last season. Along with this, Gill has a track record of being a great defense coach. Now that it is the second year of his tenure and he is able to recruit his type of players that fit his scheme, the defense can only improve.

The Jayhawks face a difficult 2011 schedule with road games against Georgia Tech, Oklahoma State, Texas and Texas A&M as well as games against Missouri, Oklahoma and Texas Tech.

Prediction: Its hard to see the Jayhawks as favorites for any of their games except McNeese State and Iowa State. I don't see the Jayhawks faring much better this season despite returning starters at key positions. I see the Jayhawks finishing 3-9.

Kansas State- The Wildcats were an enormous surprise last year and outperformed preseason expectations. RB Daniel Thomas had a sensational season in which he ran for more than 1500 yards and accumulated 19 touchdowns. At times, the Wildcats only source of offense was Thomas. Despite the one dimensional type of offense, the Wildcats finished 7-6 with wins over UCLA, UCF and Texas.

With the departure of Thomas, the Wildcats will need find some offensive production and balance if they are to compete in the Big 12 this season. QB Collin Klein returns to run Bill Snyder's offense. Klein only threw 18 passes last season, however, he ran for more than 430 yards and 6 touchdowns. WR's Chris Harper and Tramaine Thompson also return, which will provide Klein with some weapons to fill the void left by Thomas.

The defense will also need to step up for the Wildcats to repeat last season's success. The defense finished 6th in points per game allowed but finished 11th in yards against per game last season. With high powered offenses like Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, Texas A&M and Texas Tech, the Wildcats will need to shore up their secondary as well as find a consistent pass rush to help improve their overall defense.

The Wildcats have a difficult schedule in front of them with road games against Miami, Texas Tech, Oklahoma State and Texas as well as home games against Oklahoma and Missouri.

Prediction: With the loss of Daniel Thomas and the difficult schedule in front of them, I see the Wildcats struggling to find offensive rhythm throughout the season, especially against upper echelon teams and have them finishing 4-8 overall.

Missouri- The Tigers are riding high after recording another 10 win season. This was the third time in the last four years the Tigers have reached the 10 win plateau. Sporting wins of San Diego State, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M, the Tigers had their fair share of difficult games. This season won't be any different, namely because of the loss of some key playmakers.

QB Blaine Gabbert decided to forgo his senior season and enter the NFL Draft this past April. The Gabbert led offense averaged 29.8 points per game as well as 253 passing yards a game. Not only was Gabbert critical to the Tigers passing game, he also led the team in rushing attempts last year with 112. QB Tyler Gabbert, Blaine's younger brother, was expected to compete for the starting job this season, but decided to transfer earlier this summer. This has made the quarterback competition a little more interesting but has also left the Tigers short handed at the position. James Franklin should be the favorite now to take over for Gabbert.

The Tigers offense will return some critical skill position players like RB's De'Vion Moore and Henry Josey, as well as WR TJ Moe and TE Michael Egnew. This experience at the skill positions should make it easier for whoever is under center for the Tigers.

The Tigers also lost some playmakers on the defensive side of the ball. Three of the starting four cornerbacks from last year's team graduated and now their the Tigers will have to replace all three positions with underclassman. Filling in three cornerback positions will be a tough task considering cornerbacks need to understand the defense and rely on each other and understand what each persons responsibility is on a given play.

The Tigers schedule is very manageable with home games against Oklahoma State, Texas, Texas Tech, Kansas and Iowa State. The only difficult road games include a trip to Oklahoma and Texas A&M.

While losing the signal caller for the offense could hurt the Tigers, I actually believe with all the skill position and offensive lineman coming back that whoever wins the QB job will fit right into the offense and there won't be much of a setback. I do, however, believe losing three starting cornerbacks from last year's team will be the Tigers biggest problem. There will be some growing pains working these new starters into their position and having them be able to work as a cohesive unit.

Prediction: I see the Tigers having a pretty successful season despite the losses at some key positions and have them finishing at 8-4.

Big 12 Preview Part 1

Given that I bought my season tickets for football today, I figured it would be a good time to preview the upcoming Big 12 football season. I will do this in two parts with this post focusing on the Big 12 South and my next post focusing on the Big 12 North.


Baylor- Long considered the Big 12 doormat, the Baylor Bears shocked many last year by finishing 7-6 and making it to a bowl game for the first time in 16 years. Junior QB Robert Griffin returns to try and prove that last year wasn't a fluke. Griffin, one of the most exciting players in Bears history, will be relied on more this year than in the past with the graduation of leading rusher Jay Finley, as well as the recent suspension of playmaking WR Josh "Flash" Gordon.

Last year, Baylor's defense struggled with the upper echelon teams like Oklahoma, TCU and Texas A&M. The defense will need to be greatly improved this year if they are to compete for the Big 12 title. The schedule isn't very favorable to the Bears with home games against TCU, Oklahoma, Texas, and road games against Texas A&M and Oklahoma State.

With the loss of some of their biggest playmakers, the Bears are going to need their defense to perform at a very high level if they are to continue their success from last year. I have a hard time seeing the defense playing up to this ability and I see the Bears finishing 5-7


Oklahoma- The preseason #1 team in the country returns a ton of talent on both sides of the ball. QB Landry Jones and WR Ryan Broyles lead an offense which averaged 37.2 points per game as well as 343 passing yards a game. The loss of RB Demarco Murray hurts, however, RB Roy Finch saw extensive time last year while Murray was hurt and should be able to handle the load left by Murray's departure.

The defense also returns a boatload of talent from a team that only gave up 22 points per game. The Sooners have a favorable schedule with home games against Missouri, Texas Tech and Texas A&M. The two biggest challenges for the Sooners this season are a trip to Tallahassee to take on Florida State and the annual Red River Rivalry against arch rival Texas.

Although the Sooners are very talented, few teams that start off #1 end up making it to the National Championship. I think the Sooners will finish 11-1 and win the Big 12 with their only loss coming to arch rival Texas.


Oklahoma State- This is everybody's dark horse to win the Big 12, but I predict they will have a huge drop off compared to last year. While the dynamic duo of Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon return, the cowboys lose top RB Kendall Hunter as well as their Offensive Coordinator Dana Holgorsen. Prior to Holgorsen arriving at Oklahoma State, the Cowboys had struggled to mount consistent offensive performances under Head Coach Mike Gundy. Gundy will now call the plays once again to fill the void of the departing Holgorsen.

The Cowboys defense has also been suspect over the past few years. They have a bend but don't break style of defense rather than having a consistent shut down type of defense. Considering the offensive fire power this league has, the defense will need to play above expectations if they are going to be able to keep the Cowboys in games.

The Cowboys also have an extremely difficult schedule with road games against Texas A&M, Texas, Missouri and Texas Tech as well as hosting Arizona and Oklahoma. With all this taken into consideration, I expect the Cowboys to have a fairly significant drop off this season and finish 8-4


Texas- The Longhorns had quite possibly one of the worst season's ever in the program's history. This left many fans displeased and they called for many of the coaches heads. The Longhorns shook up their coaching staff by getting rid of long time Offensive Coordinator Greg Davis as well as the Offensive Line, Wide Receivers and Strength Coaches. The team also experienced changes on the other side of the ball with Defensive Coordinator Will Muschamp leaving to take the Head Coaching position at Florida.

Even with all coaching changes, there are high expectations in Austin. QB Garrett Gilbert returns to try and turn around an offense that was turnover prone and at times predictable. Leading rusher Cody Johnson returns and brings a physicality that the Longhorns lacked throughout last season. The Longhorns face questions at Wide Receiver with Malcolm Williams and Mike Davis being the only two players returning that contributed at the position last year. Talented Sophomore Darius White and true Freshman Jaxon Shipley are also expected to crack the rotation. The offensive line is also a huge question mark considering the Longhorns are transitioning from a finesse running style to a power running game.

The defense returns many playmakers like LB Kennan Robinson, Emmanuel Acho and DT Jackson Jeffcoat. These players are expected to lead the defense and return them to the way they played in 2009. The Longhorns schedule is very favorable with home games against BYU, Oklahoma State and Texas Tech while they have one true difficult road game against Texas A&M. The only other test will be against Oklahoma at the Cotton Bowl.

If Texas can put their new system in place and get the most out of their players, with this current schedule, they could be serious contenders in the Big 12. I expect the Longhorns to finish 10-2 with their only losses against Oklahoma State and Texas A&M.


Texas A&M- With the return of QB Ryan Tannehill, RB Cyrus Gray and WR Ryan Swope, the Texas A&M offense is poised to continue their explosive output from a year ago. The Aggies had a breakout season last year in which they averaged 31.2 points per game and beat Oklahoma, Nebraska, Texas Tech and their arch rival Texas.

The defense was also improved compared to past years and only gave up 22 points per game. The Aggies defense will need new playmakers to step up this year with the loss of All American LB Von Miller. If the defense can play like they did last year, the Aggies will be very tough to beat.

The 2011 schedule is very favorable to the Aggies in that they host home games against Oklahoma State, Missouri, and Texas while their only two true road test include Texas Tech and Oklahoma. I see the Aggies going 10-2 with their only losses to Arkansas and Oklahoma.


Texas Tech- The Red Raiders lose a lot from last years team including QB Taylor Potts, and RB Barron Batch. While Potts was inconsistent at times and drew the ire of many fans, one can't deny that he gave the Red Raiders the best chance to win each game. Scotty Young is the prohibitive favorite to win the QB job. The Red Raiders offense will still have playmaking ability with the return of WR's Lyle Leong and Alex Torres.

As has been the case for many years, the defense needs to improve if the Red Raiders are going to be contenders. Outside of a few games last year, most notably Texas, the defense lacked playmaking ability and was torched by high quality offenses.

The schedule shapes up fairly well for the Red Raiders with home games against Texas A&M, Oklahoma State and Nevada to go along with road games against Oklahoma and Texas. Despite the semi favorable schedule, I see the Red Raiders as being a middle of the road team with all their Big 12 wins coming over lower quality teams. I predict the Red Raiders will finish 7-5.

Uruguay Wins Copa America

Behind the play of Diego Forlan and Luis Suarez, Uruguay beat Paraguay 3-0 in the Copa America final today. Suarez scored the games first goal in the 12th minute, while Forlan scored in the 41st and 89th minute. Uruguay controlled the game from start to finish with their pressuring defense, offensive ingenuity and Paraguay's lack of offensive firepower. It's the 15th time Uruguay has won the tournament and the first time since 1995. This championship run comes after Uruguay's impressive and surprising performance in last year's World Cup in which the team finished in 4th place.

UFC 136

For all you fight fans out there. If you haven't heard, UFC 136 has the possibility of being one of the best cards ever assembled barring no injuries. The card will feature the third installment of Lightweight Champion Frankie Edgar vs Gray Maynard. In their last meeting Edgar was dropped several times in the first round but somehow survived the round. From there Edgar dominated a gassed Maynard for the next 4 rounds but the fight ended in a draw. This will be the conclusion to the trilogy and has been highly anticipated since they were scheduled to meet earlier this year before both had to pull out because of injury.

The co main event is another title bout that will feature the Featherweight Champion Jose Aldo, facing off against former Lightweight contender Kenny Florian. This will be Florian's second fight since dropping down from lightweight and is sure to be Aldo's biggest test yet. Aldo is coming off a unanimous decision victory over Mark Hominick at UFC 129.

The fight I'm looking forward to most is the return of Middleweight contender and trash talker Chael Sonnen taking on up and coming Brian Stann. This is a title eliminator in that the winner will get a shot at the Middleweight Title. It will be interesting to see who the champion will be when this fight rolls around because current No 1. contender Yushin Okami is a good friend of Chael Sonnen's and many fighters today don't fight their friends.

The main card will also include current Lightweight contender Melvin Guillard, facing off with Joe Lauzon. Guillard is 2 or 3 fights away from a title shot but has been on a roll of late since training with Greg Jackson. In the Middleweight division, Brazilian Jiu Jitsu Blackbelt Demian Maia takes on fellow Brazilian Jorge Santiago. Maia is coming off a split decision loss to Mark Munoz and is looking to get back on track. Santiago is also coming off a loss to Brian Stann and more than likely needs to beat Maia if he plans on staying in the UFC.

This card is so stacked that former WEC Lightweight Champion Anthony Pettis will be featured on the preliminary card against Jeremy Stephens. This should be a standup brawl and has the potential to win Fight of The Night honors. This is going to be an amazing card and I can't wait to attend in Houston on October 8th. How do you feel about the card?

Copa America

I'll be the first to admit, I used to hate soccer. The lack of scoring, questionable refereeing and over dramatic injuries turned me off for a long time. Over the past couple of years however, I have come to enjoy the sport more and more because of the pace of the game along with the fact that at any moment, a single shot can change the complexion of a match. There are highly competitive leagues all across the world like La Liga, and the English Premiership. The best part about the sport is there are huge tournaments going on each year whether it's the FIFA World Cup, Copa America, Gold Cup, or the Confederations Cup. In essence, these highly competitive international tournaments act like championships in the soccer world.

Now to the task at hand, the Copa America tournament. I was a little surprised that Brazil was eliminated as early as they were, but I'm more surprised by the way Peru and Venezuela have played throughout the tournament considering how poorly they played in World Cup qualifying last year. While many won't believe me, I actually predicted the final would be Uruguay vs Paraguay. I predicted Uruguay because of their talented frontline combination of Luis Suarez and Diego Forlan along with their defensive minded play from head coach Oscar Tabarez. Both Suarez and Forlan are great off the first touch, can shoot a variety of shots from both feet and can set teammates up for goal scoring opportunities. I also predicted Paraguay because of their very physical, methodical, defensive minded play. While they may not look pretty offensively, they still get the job done with a timely goal at critical moments. They have a clamp down defense that throws opponents off their rhythm, which causes them to make mistakes that they don't normally make like bad passes and yellow cards from frustration.

Prediction- I believe Uruguay's combination of tough defense with stylistic offense gives them the advantage over Paraguay in this match. It will be a hard fought match, but I believe Diego Forlan will be the difference maker and contribute in some way to the games only goal. Uruguay 1 Paraguay 0.

MLB Trade Deadline

I was wondering who you want your favorite team to go after at the trade deadline. As a Ranger fan, the only thing we really need is bullpen help. Our offense is always really good so I hope they aren't seriously considering trading for Beltran. While we may have lost Cliff Lee and lack the starting pitching that we had last year, I honestly don't believe there is a single ace out there worth trading for. Ubaldo is good, but no where near what he was a year ago. He is too inconsistent. The one guy I believe we should target is Heath Bell. He has been money saving games for the Padres over the last couple of years and not only is he tough against opponents, he brings amazing energy and is a great clubhouse guy. He would fill the set up role which has been erratic all year and if we are able to resign him, he could close for us next year which would allow Feliz to move to the rotation which would help solidify it for the next couple of years. Who do you want?

NFL Lockout

I have to say I don't know whether I'm more annoyed with the fact that the lockout is still on, or by the constant coverage ESPN gives it. As all of us know, it is a business so I understand why each side is squabbling, trying to get what best suits them into the new CBA. However the fact is, it's not about the players or the owners, it's about US. We are the ones that go to the games, that buy the merchandise, and watch on TV. We are the ones that put tremendous sums of money not only into the owners pockets, but the players as well. It's really aggravating to see some of the little things that they are bickering over on a daily basis. I compare it to the politicians in this country in which all they are trying to do is look out for themselves instead of the greater good.

With that said my goodness ESPN. You used to be a pretty good news organization with regard to sports but it's amazing how much the coverage has changed since you bought out Disney. Every single day you have a countdown on how long the lockout has been going on, to go along with a rant by one of the anchor's at the desk which segways into video we have already seen numerous times. From there it goes to live shots of Sal Paolantonio, Adam Schefter, Chris Mortenson and John Clayton and this is just during the morning edition of SportsCenter. They also have different programing which discusses the lockout throughout the day( NFL Live, JRIB, Around the Horn, PTI) to go along with their afternoon and night SportsCenter which gives us more rants by different anchors to breaking news of Aaron Rodgers walking out of a Burger King and saying no deal is imminent. I'm interested in hearing your thoughts not only about the lockout, but also by ESPN's coverage of it as well.