Top 10 NHL Power Rankings

1.      Colorado Avalanche (10-1-0)

2.      San Jose Sharks (10-1-2)

3.      Anaheim Ducks (10-3-0)

4.      Toronto Maple Leafs (10-4-0)

5.      Chicago Blackhawks (8-2-3)

6.      St. Louis Blues (7-1-2)

7.      Phoenix Coyotes (8-3-2)

8.      Pittsburgh Penguins (9-4-0)

9.      Los Angeles Kings (9-5-0)

10.    Vancouver Canucks (9-5-1)

The Tribute: Hakeem "The Dream" Olajuwon

Hakeem Olajuwon was one of the last true big men in the NBA. He did everything right playing the center position. I also thought he was a bit underrated in his dunking ability. As the picture shows he will have you going for cover if you don’t get out the way. What a dunk!

The Coach Killer: Deron Williams Hates This Title

Brooklyn Nets star point guard Deron Williams has been labeled a “Coach Killer” and he wants that title off of his resume. Sorry to tell you D-Will but this will follow you for your whole basketball career and after that. When he played in Utah for the Jazz under legendary Jerry Sloan, he ran him out of town.

This is not how you treat a coach that has been with the organization for over 20 years and has been successful; also the same man that put the ball in your hands and told you to take this team to the promise land.

It’s very surprising to me that Williams is a coach killer. I would have never thought that about a point guard that I regard as one of the most talented players in his class. But I guess if Magic Johnson did this in his heyday we shouldn’t be surprised.

It has been said that the most talented players love to be in control and their egos are to the roof. D-Will made sure that if he didn’t like what you were doing as a coach he would let everyone know from the locker room to the media. This isn’t how you deal with your frustration. I believe that most things should stay in-house.

You have Jerry Sloan put to his misery by Williams and when the guard was traded to the now Brooklyn Nets he was dissatisfied with former coach Avery Johnson’s offense and spoke out about it to the public. So of course Johnson is going to get the ax when you have a franchise player that’s paid over $95 million for the life of his contract, nobody is safe!

Hopefully Williams will get his act together and just focus on basketball. He has a lot to worry about this season as trying to get his newly revamped team to compete at a high level in the Eastern Conference.

We’re all going to be watching to see if newly coach Jason Kidd and Deron Williams can co-exist for the long run.

Top 10 NFL Power Rankings

1.      Kansas City Chiefs (8-0)

2.      Seattle Seahawks (7-1)

3.      Denver Broncos (7-1)

4.      New Orleans Saints (6-1)

5.      San Francisco 49ers (6-2)

6.      Indianapolis Colts (6-2)

7.      New England Patriots (6-2)

8.      Cincinnati Bengals (6-2)

9.      Chicago Bears (4-3)

10.    Carolina Panthers (4-3)

Top 15 NBA Players Entering the 2013-2014 Season

1.      LeBron James

2.      Kevin Durant

3.      Derrick Rose

4.      Chris Paul

5.      Kobe Bryant

6.      Carmelo Anthony

7.      James Harden

8.      Tony Parker

9.      Russell Westbrook

10.    Dwyane Wade

11.    Dwight Howard

12.    Rajon Rondo

13.    Kevin Love

14.    Tim Duncan

15.    Stephen Curry 

Top 10 NHL Power Rankings

1.      San Jose Sharks (6-0-0)

2.      Colorado Avalanche (6-0-0)

3.      Toronto Maple Leafs (6-1-0)

4.      Pittsburgh Penguins (5-1-0)

5.      Chicago Blackhawks (4-1-1)

6.      Detroit Red Wings (5-2-0)

7.      Anaheim Ducks (4-1-0)

8.      St. Louis Blues (4-1-0)

9.      Calgary Flames (3-0-2)

10.    Montreal Canadiens (4-2-0)

Top 10 NFL Power Rankings

1.      Denver Broncos (6-0)

2.      Kansas City Chiefs (6-0)

3.      Seattle Seahawks (5-1)

4.      New England Patriots (5-1)

5.      New Orleans Saints (5-1)

6.      San Francisco 49ers (4-2)

7.      Indianapolis Colts (4-2)

8.      Cincinnati Bengals (4-2)

9.      Detroit Lions (4-2)

10.    Chicago Bears (4-2)

New York Knicks: Show me What You're Worth in the Playoffs

The 2013 New York Knicks are looking to improve on last year’s 54 win season and a first-round playoff win. With all the pieces back in place they’re looking for a run at the title but the Miami Heat are still the favorite to win the East and repeat as champions to win a third straight title in franchise history.

The Knicks have come a long way but just winning their division and a playoff round won’t be enough for them. It’s all about winning now and winning it all. They haven’t won a championship in four decades but that isn’t deterring them at all. They are more motivated than ever.

With the additions of Metta World Peace, Andrea Bargnani and Tim Hardaway Jr. they will look to keep the push in the east to be the best and not second after the Heat. The New York Knicks know this won’t be an easy task this season with the Brooklyn Nets, Chicago Bulls and Indiana Pacers all gotten better this offseason.

I believe in coach Mike Woodson and his staff to bring the players to play better defense this season because as we’ve seen through the years that defense wins games. I always believe that if you’re a good defensive team the offense will follow.

If they don’t win this year when will they? You have a aging and ailing Amar’e Stoudemire that can only give you about 15 minutes per game now in his career and Melo has the option to opt-out his contract and become a free agent. Nothing is guaranteed for this team, not even with their superstar player.

As a fan of the Knicks since 1990 I want to see the team win and bring back the excitement to Madison Square Garden in the playoffs. We all know what they can do in the regular season but the playoffs speak volumes to us. Yeah we haven’t won in so long but New Yorkers never give up and always keep hope alive.

Take Your Time Joe Girardi

New York Yankees skipper Joe Girardi wants to explore his options and take a deep look at the vacancy in Chicago with the Cubs. You can’t blame the man either. With a depleted team and a aging roster the concerns do run through his mind.

Joe Girardi has been with the Yankees for six seasons and he has a 2009 World Series championship to come with it. But Joe will take his time to make his decision to see where he and his family want to be.

The signs are pointing that they’ll stay in New York because Girardi feels that he’s a Yankee by heart but the money that the Chicago Cubs will pay him will make him one of the top paid managers in the sport. Yankees general manager Brian Cashman went on the radio today to say that the club will wait on Girardi’s decision and that they want him back.

I think the Cubs open vacancy would be a great opportunity for Girardi to get paid, work with young prospects and have more power in the organization. Girardi can be the next Bill Parcells and chase the money and build a losing franchise to respectability. A manager finds pleasure in helping young players become great.

The New York Yankees have too many old players that in some cases are stuck in their ways and might not want to do things differently. I love my Yankees but the future looks very bleak. You have Derek Jeter on his last legs and A-Rod suing the MLB. What’s next?

The Chicago Cubs are rushing Girardi to make his decision but the skipper will go at his own pace but is very interested in the opportunity even if his hometown lacks many of his family members residing there anymore.

The Pittsburgh Pirates: A Feel Good Story of a Forgotten Team

The 2013 Pittsburgh Pirates are for real and talented but once upon a time they were terrible and nobody wanted to watch them and I mean nobody. For the last two decades the Pittsburgh Pirates were just a forgotten team who were used to losing 100 games a season. When you mentioned the Pirates people probably say who? This was the perception of the team for many years.

But there was a time when the Pittsburgh Pirates were the toast of the town and the country. In the 1970’s they won two World Series titles and they had a player name Roberto Clemente who is a legendary baseball player.

This team was well respected and talented at that and in the 80’s they were getting some steam back when they drafted despised player Barry Bonds in the 1985 draft. This young guy came in to make his mark and that’s what he did. The team would go on to win three straight division titles.

But once the team started to go in a different direction they made some bad draft pick in the 90’s and that led to the demise of this club. The Pirates just didn’t sign free agents but they brought in players that were way past their primes. That didn’t help the team rebuild and grow. With many people dismissing them as a reputable team they had a vision to connect better with fans and that’s with putting talent on the field.

It all started last year when we saw a sneak peak at what the Pittsburgh Pirates could be with ex-Yankee pitcher A.J. Burnett at the mound. He won many games for this club and we saw some glimpses of what they can be. To build a championship team it doesn’t happen overnight. It takes time and preparation.

This year the Pirates were considered one of the best teams in baseball and they were always in the mix and winning many games. Now in the playoffs facing the St. Louis Cardinals, they are tied 2-2 and it’s a must win to move on. I’m proud of this team and I know many other baseball fans are as well.

Derrick Rose is Back and Better Than Ever

In the NBA 2012 Playoffs young Chicago Bulls star Derrick Rose went down by tearing his ACL. With over a year and a half gone Rose is back and he’s looking for vengeance. Derrick Rose is such a competitor and he’s been listening to all the hoopla since he’s been gone. There have been many that questioned his intentions, heart and leadership.

Rose came back to the game when he was fully ready and recovered, not just physically but mentally. The doubters don’t have any idea what it feels like to go through an injury of this sort. It’s devastating and most athletes are never the same after it. So I’m glad that Rose took as much time as he needed to get back to form.

This is a young franchise player for the Chicago Bulls that’s not even in his prime yet and already a superstar player with a MVP award. This upcoming season will be a coming-out party for him to prove to himself, fans and doubters that he’s still a top player in the league. In my opinion he’s right behind LeBron James as the best player in the league.

Watching the preseason game against the Indiana Pacers you can see that Rose wanted to go out there and just play the way he knows how. Most athletes after a major injury change their games up and look a bit timid to do anything spectacular that they use to do but not Rose. He drove to the basket and went straight at Pacers center Roy Hibbert. I was definitely impressed to see that Rose is back and confident.

The Chicago Bulls team is very dangerous and with an aging Miami Heat squad I think that they can be beat when it counts in the playoffs. We’ll just have to wait and see how Rose health goes through the season.

Top 10 NHL Power Rankings

1.      Toronto Maple Leafs (3-0-0)

2.      Pittsburgh Penguins  (3-0-0)

3.      Boston Bruins (3-0-0)

4.      St. Louis Blues (2-0-0)

5.      San Jose Sharks (2-0-0)

6.      Colorado Avalanche (2-0-0)

7.      Vancouver Canucks (2-1-0)

8.      Detroit Red Wings (2-1-0)

9.      Winnipeg Jets (2-1-0)

10.    Chicago Blackhawks (1-0-1)

Top 10 NFL Power Rankings

1.      New Orleans Saints (5-0)

2.      Denver Broncos (5-0)

3.      Kansas City Chiefs (5-0)

4.      Indianapolis Colts (4-1)

5.      Seattle Seahawks (4-1)

6.      New England Patriots (4-1)

7.      San Francisco 49ers (3-2)

8.      Baltimore Ravens (3-2)

9.      Cincinnati Bengals (3-2)

10.    Chicago Bears (3-2)

Jeremy Lin is Happy the Pressure is off

This comes by no surprise to me that Jeremy Lin was just an average point guard last season in the NBA. The man they call Linsanity came out and spoke about his past season and the pressures he faced in his first season playing in Houston.

Lin isn’t a man of many words so for him to come out and say that he’s happy the pressure is off of him this coming season, you can see that he doesn’t want that spotlight. I personally always thought that he was just a mediocre player that caught fire at the right time and in the right city which was New York.

I’m just glad the New York Knicks didn’t fall for the hype and match the three-year contract the Houston Rockets were offering. Also with the infamous poison pill that the Knicks made sure they didn’t swallow was the best move they’ve made in years; especially with all of the bad signing they had in the past decade.

This upcoming 2013-2014 season I’m looking forward to see what Lin is going to do with his newly high powered offense and an upgraded defense with the addition of Dwight Howard. Think it will be a fun team to watch because they are young and talented.

Lin was made to be in Houston and not with the New York Knicks because the bright lights would have started to expose his deficiencies and he wouldn’t be able to handle the criticism.  The 13 points and 6 assists per game that he produced last season weren’t bad numbers but when you call a man Linsanity people are looking for the big splash not a baby wave.

Lin needs to worry about keeping his starting position and not get sidelined for young guard Patrick Beverley that showed great signs in the playoffs.

Top 10 NFL Power Rankings

1.      Denver Broncos (4-0)

2.      New Orleans Saints (4-0)

3.      Seattle Seahawks (4-0)

4.      New England Patriots (4-0)

5.      Kansas City Chiefs (4-0)

6.      Detroit Lions (3-1)

7.      Indianapolis Colts (3-1)

8.      Chicago Bears (3-1)

9.      San Francisco 49ers (2-2)

10.    Miami Dolphins (3-1)

DeMarcus Cousins Extension has Some Scratching Their Heads

NBA troubled Sacramento Kings center DeMarcus Cousins got his wish yesterday when he signed a lucrative extension for 4 years and $62 million. Now with this kind of contract we all just hope that Cousins can get it together and go out there and just play basketball.

He’s one of the names of the 2010 draft that got their extension this week. But many fans are scratching their heads and wondering why the Kings would extend him with all the problems and troubles that follow this young 23-year-old player.

If you ask me I think the fans of Sacramento wanted him out and just start over again. Not if they were already a winning club but having a player that’s giving you 17 points and 9 rebounds, I don’t think it’s worth the entire headache.

If Cousins were to keep his emotions in place he could have got a better deal like Indiana Pacers Paul George got. He received an extension for the max which is 5 years and about $90 million. Cousins got a lot of money on his plate too but he left some on the table. I’m just as surprised as everyone that they gave him another chance and are banking on him to be the club’s franchise player.

Could it all be that Shaquille O’Neal is coming in to work with the young man or is it just to sell some tickets? It could be both as I’m concerned. I don’t think it will be a success in Sacramento and I see many more troubles following him if he doesn’t change his attitude. If the Kings want to protect their investment they should put him in anger management classes.

Lastly I wanted to touch on his weight gain and the future of his body that many aren’t touching on. Shaq was a different kind of player in his days as a NBA dominant center. He came into the league very lean and strong then just became overweight and fat. But I don’t think this will help Cousins if he doesn’t take care of himself and his diet. He’s no Shaq that can go up and down in weight and still dominate the game.

Brett Favre is Retired and Done for Good in the NFL

Retired and future Hall of Famer quarterback Brett Favre is making news again and we all know what it is by now. His agent Bus Cook comes out of the woods to tell us that Brett Favre could still play the game of football better than most of these quarterbacks out there. That may be true because of the competitor that he is and the talents he holds is like no other.

Brett Favre might have the itch to come back but we all know that he’s old and doesn’t want to put in the full work needed to become a champion at the age of 43. My memory I recall that Favre didn’t want to take part in training camp. I think that’s not professional and the greats don’t do this.

Picture Peyton Manning, Drew Brees or Tom Brady doing this; I can’t see that happening because they care about the game and their image. Not to say that Brett doesn’t but he sure made it clear that he should get preferential treatment because of his accomplishments.

Favre is turning 44 years old next month just to give you an idea of what he could face if he decided to come back. His body in my opinion wouldn’t be able to take those kinds of hits at that age. But we can’t count of the legend in Favre but he should stay retired and keep riding off to the sunset. It doesn’t matter how much running and miles of bike riding he’s doing daily. His time is up.

I don’t want another fiasco in the NFL with Brett Favre making headlines and taking the news from teams and players that should be getting the attention.