Happy New Year folks, I hope this year is better than the last. So, as the world turns Gilbert Arenas is likely the biggest boob in sports today, because even Tiger didn’t pull a gun on Phil over a Poker game. I mean seriously, he did that, Gilbert Arenas brought a fire arm to the locker room and now has to talk to the DA. Like something out of a movie that really f**kin happened. What an idiot. The only reason I feel obliged to be so judgmental is his nonchalant attitude about the matter, like it happens every week. I’m tellin’ ya, that guy is lucky God blessed him with incredible talent, because he is, forgive the term, trippin’ hard. At any rate the year is fresh and we’ve only just begun the NFL playoffs, so there is still time to predict the biggest winners in the big three.
The MLB
The American League is a great league for fans because of the DH, the National League is for, in my humble opinion, Baseball purists who don’t mind a 1-2 pitchers duel. That’s why it’s a shame that ‘everyone hates the Yankees’ because they should be ‘America’s Team’ like the Cowboys. They will likely repeat as kings of a hotly contested yet top heavy American League East as the Rays might continue to dwindle. I also have them repeating as AL Champs, the Yankees tend to win titles in bunches.
I hate to sound like a homer, but for the first time in my adult life I actually think the Dodgers will win the National League title. If the team doesn’t completely implode that is. Given the current state of affairs I’m making an emergency pick in case the Dodgers move back to Brooklyn or something. Albert Pujols and the Cardinals will likely improve over last years mark and become a post season terror, I just don’t see the Phillies making another run.
In the World Series, we have an issue. If the Dodgers make it the headline will be: The Hapless Dodgers swept by Yankees. If the Cards go to the show however the headline will be: Yankees in Seven!
The NBA
Let’s begin in the East where I’m looking for the Celtics to outlast just about everybody. I have my doubts about Shaq as the year drags on, and I think his health is a big difference maker later in the season. The Orlando Magic are loaded for a deep playoff run, so I think its safe to say that the Eastern Conference playoffs will be exciting to say the least, if they remain healthy the Celtics should win a dog fight to the finish.
The West on the other hand has a lot of quality teams, but who are we kidding? The Lakers won the west last year in a pretty well contested playoffs, and they have improved. The Nuggets haven’t necessarily improved personnel wise, and neither have the Rockets, or the Suns. The only playoff team you can’t count out are the Spurs. They will make the playoffs, and are therefore a threat. If you’re a basketball fan you ant Spurs, Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and that’s what I think we’ll get.
The Finals in my scenario will be fantastic. A seven game struggle between Boston and Los Angeles. They are the best two teams in the NBA and unlike other sports the best teams typically make it to the end. I have the Lakers in seven.
The NFL
What a season we’ve had, what competition and drama. I really enjoy football, and feel like it gets better every year. The NFC has really improved over the last few years and looks likely to produce a really viable contender for the Super Bowl. This year the team I’m looking at has got to be the Vikings despite the fact that I’m an Eagles fan and my team is in the post season. The Vikings firing on all cylinders is a juggernaut on both sides of the ball. I think they’ll bring their A game after the bye week.
The AFC is a bit tougher because the usual suspects are all either wounded or watching from home. The Patriots, who were my sleeper pick, have lost Wes Welker for the year and maybe all of next year. The Colts limped into the post season. The only team that looks like they even want to win the Super Bowl is San Diego and no one cares because everyone is waiting for the Norv Turner lead team to choke… again. With that being said the Colts have home field advantage and are still reasonably intact, so they should win. They should.
Barack Obama will eventually make it official and declare Super Bowl Sunday a national holiday. In 2000 years humanity will think we worshipped Vince Lombardi. I can’t wait for the big game no matter who is playing, I just hope it’s still interesting by the end of the third quarter. I honestly think this is the year where Brett Favre silences the last of his critics, the last few people who apparently are watching a different game then the rest of us normal people that see a guy play quarterback in the NFL in his forties. His forties. He’ll win the big game and when the camera people ask him what he’s going to do he’ll say, “I don’t know…”
