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A Hack Job: The “Big Things” in Sports
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Championship, Editorial, Fantasy, Front Office, Golf, Kudos, MLB, NBA, NFL, Playoffs, Tennis,
As sports fans, we love and want to witness feats of athletic, methodical, and powerful achievement. The grace of Barry Sanders stopping on a dime, running back five yards, then going forward 80 yards while evading all 11 defensive players for a score was soemthing you felt lucky to see, mouth agape, drool making a half necklace around your neck. The devastating display of homerun power in 1998 as Mark McGwire and Sammy Sosa chase of Roger Maris and his single season home run record and the way they chased each other had even your grandmother paying attention to the home run race. And, how about Tiger Wood’s assassin-like taking of the PGA at the turn of the century, and most recently this past weekend at the British Open.
Face it, folks, we want to know and be blessed with witnessing, to steal from LeBron James and Nike, the “big things” in sports. And, I’m here to help you all figure out what those things are.
Click to continue reading A Hack Job: The “Big Things” in Sports
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1st bracket
Germany vs. Sweden
Argentina vs. Mexico
2nd bracket
Italy vs. Australia
Switzerland vs. Ukraine
NOTE: Winner of the 1st bracket will play the winner of the 2nd bracket in the semi-finals.
3rd bracket
England vs. Ecuador
Portugal vs. Netherlands
4th bracket
Brazil vs. Ghana
Spain vs. France
NOTE: Winner of the 3rd bracket will play the winner of the 4th bracket in the semi-finals.
Miami Heat - NBA Champions!
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Championship, Kudos, NBA, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
In what seemed impossible, the Miami Heat beat the Dallas Mavericks in Game Six of the NBA Finals, 95-92, to claim the franchise’s first championship. It’s not that the Heat were huge underdogs to win tonight’s game, but in the fact that they won four straight games after going down two games to none at the beginning of the series.
But, before I go any further, I have to give props to the Dallas Mavericks who easily could have been the world champions instead. The only problem was that they had to defend the Heat’s Dwyane Wade, who was simply off-the-charts the last four games. In any case, the Mavs will probably sign Jason Terry, who shined during the postseason, and keep this team together to contend the next few seasons. Kudos to them.
At the opening of tonight’s game, it looked like the Mavs were going to run away with the game early, but thanks to Wade scoring seven points in under two minutes for the Heat, the end of the first quarter wasn’t as bad as it could have been. In the second quarter, the Heat just continued to pour it on, outscoring the Mavs for the quarter, 26-18 and taking a one point lead into the half.
But, the second half of the game couldn’t have been played any more tightly.
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Carolina Hurricanes Win The Stanley Cup
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Championship, Kudos, NHL, Playoffs,
The Carolina Hurricanes beat the Edmonton Oilers 3-1 in Game Seven of the Stanley Cup Finals and almost like the 1996 World Series Champion New York Yankees, the Hurricanes have to thank a rookie. I say almost because Derek Jeter’s impact wasn’t as much as goalie, Cam Ward’s. Ward who filled in at goal for the struggling Martin Gerber at the beginning of the playoffs and was simply amazing. So amazing, in fact, he won the Conn Smythe Trophy that goes to the MVP of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
After leading the series 3-1, it looked like the Oilers would fold, but they came back in Game Five with a well-fought overtime win and a 4-0 blowout in Game Six. However, they never looked like they were in control in Game Seven as Ward simply wouldn’t let them, blocking 22 shots of the Oilers’ 23 for the night.
This is the first Stanley Cup for the Carolina Hurricanes. Congratulations!
Luckily for Miami Heat fans, not only did Dwyane Wade show that he can do it again in Game Four, and by that I mean score a ton of points against some tough defenders, the old Shaquille O’Neal showed up. The Diesel looked more in attack-mode and was able to throw down a few hammers against the Dallas Mavericks. I guess O’Neal read my Game Four preview when I said he looked tentative. Attack, big fella, that’s all you have to do. Use the Shaq-Fu.
An important factor in the Heat dominating the contest in Game Four is that the Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki had an absolutely horrible game, shooting 2-for-14 from the field and finishing with 16 points. If Nowitzki hit more shots, would it have made a difference considering the final score of 98-74? I think so. Nowitzki has the ability to stop a team’s momentum with timely shots and/or a scoring explosion where he strings together a few baskets. But, it didn’t happen for him or the Mavs this time.
However, something else that will affect the Mavs did.
Click to continue reading NBA Finals Game Five Preview
The Miami Heat must be praying that Dwyane Wade’s knee is good enough, in fact better, to play in tonight’s Game Four against the Dallas Mavericks. In Game Three, despite colliding with teammate Shaquille O’Neal that caused Wade’s knee to be injured, Wade put on a dribbling and penetrating to the rack display for a final tally of 42 points. That explosion from Wade and a missed free-throw from the Mavs’ Dirk Nowitzki that could have tied the game with just over three seconds left in regulation, brings us to tonight’s game with the Mavs owning a 2-1 lead in the series.
For the Heat, they really must get O’Neal going. In fact, the Diesel needs to get himself going as he’s looked tentative with teh ball in his hands. O’Neal isn’t attacking the basket with the fervor he should have to win another title. In fact, you can argue that Erick Dampier has been just as good as Shaq. I can’t believe I just wrote that. Either O’Neal needs to establish himself down in the box and dominate or the perimater shooters that are open, namely Jason Williams and Antoine Walker, need to hit the open shots.
Of course, Wade will still be relied upon, but with his knee injury, it wouldn’t be wise to expect another performance that has Wade taking his team on his shoulders and to a win. Wade is a tough player, but he isn’t Superman. That role is supposed to fall on O’Neal. However, O’Neal will need to take more than nine shots in a game to do that.
As far as the Mavericks go, they don’t have to change anything about their game plan. They played bad enough to win Game Three and have basically dictated the series with their offense and defensive play, as evidenced by containing the force that is Shaquille O’Neal. If they should do anything, they might want to establish themselves early in the contest to play the tempo they want and take the Miami faithful out of the game.
The game tips off tonight at 9pm.
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.13.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, Playoffs, Scoreboard,
NBA FINALS: Everyone is asking - Can Shaquille O’Neal hack it anymore? Naturally, coming off a five point performance will have people questioning Shaq’s ability, but C’MON! This is Shaq we’re talking about here. Is he dominating like he did in seasons past? Of course not. But, he’s still a force in the blocks and considering he only took five total shots from the field, someone needs to remind him. Well, I know this much, you can question O’Neal’s ability all you want because essentially, I think we all know better. But, once you start questioning his heart, the big lug has too much pride to not get the last laugh.
*Game Three happens down in the sunny shores and beautiful views (models and all) of Miami. This is a critical game for the Heat because a Boston Red Sox style comeback from a 3-0 deficit is a rare thing. It’s as rare as Rachel McAdams going out on a date with me… maybe, just maybe if I can get her inebriated enough, she’ll say yes. Of course, when sobriety kicks in, she’ll have no idea, but at least I’d know. ANYWAY, the Heat cannot afford to lose because the Dallas Mavericks would have all the momentum going in their favor. Excuse me, even more momentum in their favor. It seems like they can’t miss. The Heat need to put a stop to that and feeding O’Neal down in the post seems to be a good remedy to get it started.
MLB: Is Roger Clemens kidding? In six innings of work, the Rocket only allowed two hits and struck out 11 in his second rehab start with the Double-A Corpus Christi Hooks. Unreal. Clemens is on schedule to make his MLB debut on June 22 against the Minnesota Twins.
*Two of the hottest teams right now (both winning eight of their last 10 games) are the Oakland Athletics and Seattle Mariners, A.L. West rivals and combatants that start a three game set tonight in Oak-Town. Since the A.L. West always ends up being a close race down to the end, this series could be an important one for both clubs in determining their fates. Jamie Moyer takes the hill for the Mariners, while Joe Blanton takes the mound for the A’s.
*The old-timers, Tom Glavine of the New York Mets and the Boston Red Sox’s Curt Schilling go for their tenth wins tonight and continue to lead their respective leagues in wins. Glavine will deal to the potentially dangerous Philadelphia Phillies batting order in Philly and Schilling faces the Minnesota Twinkies led by the hot-hitting Joe Mauer. Will experience win and youth be served? Or will the youngsters make Glavine and Schilling look like old men.
*Speaking of youth, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim’s Jered Weaver makes his fourth start, looking to stay undefeated and go 4-0. Weaver has been every bit as good as most people projected him to be with a 3-0 record, 1.86 ERA, .162 BAA, 17 K versus 3 BB in 19.1 IP. There’s a very good possibility the young Weaver will bump the old weaver, older brother Jeff, from the Angels’ rotation when ace Bartolo Colon comes off the DL. I hope Jeff likes the bullpen.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.10.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, Boxing, Editorial, MLB, News, NHL, Playoffs, Scoreboard, Soccer,
FIFA WORLD CUP: What an excellent opening day for one of the toughest and most competitive tournaments in the world! Host country, Germany, was a part of history, beating Costa Rica in the highest scoring opening game in World Cup history, 4-2. And Ecuador, despite some controversy regarding the legitimacy of their being in the tournament, beat Poland, 2-0. See the recap of Day One here. Let’s see what the second day of opening round games brings us:
GROUP B
*England VS. Paraguay
*Trinidad and Tobago VS. Sweden
GROUP C
*Argentina VS. Ivory Coast
NHL: Game Three of the Stanley Cup Finals takes place up North in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. And guess what? The Edmonton Oilers think that G Dwayne Roloson can make it back for the series. This would be great news as the Carolina Hurricanes have had an easy go of it since Roloson has been out. Keep watching and keep that ear to the ground. The Hurricanes are leading the series 2-0. The puck drops tonight at 8PM EST and will be shown on NBC here in the States. Woo hoo! Primetime for the NHL… gotta build that profile up.
MLB: News on Albert Pujols - he actually said he could be back in two weeks! Of course, he did go on telling the press that it could be three, four, six weeks even. Basically, he isn’t going to rush himself back. Smart move. Roger Clemens is on his way back, but young fireballers - Kerry Wood and Rich Harden - are both back on the DL after serving time on the list earlier this season. If I were Wood or Harden, I’d bother Clemens and ask how he did it for so long.
*Texas Rangers rookie pitcher, John Rheinecker, looks to continue to go undefeated for the season (2-0), facing the Boston Red Sox at Fenway Park. Rheinecker currently has a 1.77 ERA, 0.93 WHIP, and has only given up one walk in 20.1 innings. One walk! That’s some pretty impressive control. However, let’s see how good that control is when the rookie faces the likes of Manny Ramirez and David Ortiz.
*A few pitchers look to follow the footsteps of the New York Mets’ Tom Glavine and Red Sox’s Curt Schilling and win their ninth game of the season. Mike Mussina (8-1) of the New York Yankees will try to do it against the Oakland Athletics this afternoon. The St. Louis Cardinals’ Jason Marquis (8-4) matches up against the Milwaukee Brewers to try to win his ninth game. The Arizona Diamondbacks’ Brandon Webb takes the hill for the third time in trying to win his ninth… maybe the third time is a charm? Webb will face the New York Mets and their improved lineup.
BOXING: Antonio Tarver and Bernard Hopkins get it on tonight in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Light heavyweight champ, Tarver, has to be considered the favorite, if only because Hopkins is 41 years old now and lost his last two fights. It is thought that this will be Hopkins’ final career fight and will hang it up out of the ring. For 11 years, Hopkins dominated the Middleweight division and left it all in the ring. It would be nice to see him go out with a victory.
Enjoy the games!
Tap The Schedule And Twist The Cap: 6.8.06
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Athletes, MLB, NBA, News, NHL, Playoffs,
NBA: Game One of the NBA Finals gets underway tonight in the Big D, Dallas as the Mavericks play host to the Miami Heat. Unfortunately for those backing the Heat (like me), Dwyane Wade is still not feeling 100% due to a sinus infection, but this is the NBA Finals! And Wade is a gamer, so he’ll be suiting up for tonight’s contest. Something to watch tonight is when the Heat’s Shaquille O’Neal sets up in the post on Mavs center, Erick Dampier. In the past, O’Neal has called Dampier soft and in last year’s playoffs blamed a leg injury for him playing “like Erick Dampier.” Of course Shaq is taking the high road now saying that he was just kidding around. Well, like they say, there’s always some truth to a joke. After tonight’s game, we’ll see who is the butt of the joke. The game tips off at 9pm EST.
NHL: It looks like the Carolina Hurricanes MIGHT be on their way to a sweep. Since losing Dwayne Roloson, the Edomonton Oilers appear to be struggling and maybe a bit deflated. Last night’s 5-0 win is proof positive of that. However, the series shifts to Edmonton for Game Three, which takes place on Saturday. Obviously, there are no games tonight.
MLB: The big news in baseball is Jason Grimsley, the former Arizona Diamondbacks relief pitcher, whose home was searched for six hours on Tuesday by federal agents after he failed to cooperate with them. He was originally caught by them in April when they tracked a package of human growth hormone kits. Grimsley was given two options - cooperate and be interviewed about drug use in Major League Baseball or submit to an immediate search. At that point, he agreed to be interviewed, but then decided not to assist in the investigation any longer. Thus the search on Tuesday. It’s a dicey situation and it’s unfortunate for baseball and its fans, but it’s the sad reality of baseball’s current state.
*There’s a matchup of two potentially great youngsters tonight in San Francsico when the Giants try to be as unhospitable as possible to the Pittsburgh Pirates. The two young guns taking the mound tonight will be Zach Duke for the visiting Bucs and Matt Cain for the Giants. Both had impressive beginnings last season when they both made their MLB debuts, but both have been inconsistent thus far this season, but what do you expect? They’re young.
*Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez of the New York Mets visits the club that traded him recently, the Arizona Diamondbacks. From what I’ve seen of Hernandez in the past, he’s a player that has a lot of pride and I’m sure he’s itching to shut out his old team. We’ll see what happens tonight in the desert. On the hill for the D’backs will be Claudio Vargas.
Enjoy the games!
NBA Finals Game One Preview: Miami Heat
Posted by Dennis Velasco Categories: Editorial, NBA, Playoffs,
Special to End Score from Dropping Dimes
As Rod Stewart sang - “Tonight’s the night! It’s gonna be alright.” Actually, it’ll be alright for one team in tonight’s NBA Finals when they win the opening game of the series. So, who will it be? The Miami Heat led by Wade and O’Neal? Or the Dallas Mavericks who ride the shoulders of Nowitzki? We’re no Nostradamuses (or would that be Nostradami?), but we’ll break down how each team can win by pointing out some keys to victory. For your viewing (dis)pleasure, here’s our opinion on how the Miami Heat can win.
To see how the Mavs can win, check it out here!
Three Keys On Offense:
1) Feed the Diesel - And I’m not talking about sandwiches, I’m talking about the pill. The way Shaq has looked lately, you must feed the big fella down in the box. Consider Game Six against the Pistons when O’Neal went off for 28 points on 12-for-14 shooting from the floor, 16 boards, and five “get that shiznit out of here” blocks. The man looked ridiculously like the Shaq of old and not an old Shaq. Just give the man the ball and he’ll do it up like Karl Malone did and deliver.
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