Tiger Woods is Back at Number 1

I’m thrilled and excited to be writing about golf again, well maybe Tiger Woods. The sport of gold isn’t the same when Tiger Woods is not performing at a high level. For the past three years Woods have just been a shell of himself and many were wondering was he done.

I never thought in a million years that Tiger wasn’t going to go back to his winning ways. Sometimes when you’re facing adversity in your personal life it can affect your game. Woods has seen the most lows of his life recently while trying to play the game he loves.

Now the Tiger is truly back to prominence as he just won at Bay Hills to put him the number one golfer in the world since 2010. Golf is more enjoyable when Tiger is winning. Woods is even the favorite for the Masters this year.

Watching Tiger play the last few years you could see that he wasn’t comfortable and he just seemed like he didn’t want to be out there. His swing looked fair and he was emotionally drained in that period. Many were counting him out and his greatest days were behind him.

Now that people are seeing Woods back at his best many are wondering if he can win another Masters. I say it would be surprising to not see Tiger put on that green jacket next month. I want to say welcome back to Tiger and 2013 is looking great for golf and sports.

Brady vs Manning

Football season might be over but all year round we are still talking about it. Tonight is no different as I have been putting my final touches on this great debate that has been surfacing around sports for years now. Who’s greater; Tom Brady or Peyton Manning?

Everyone will have their opinion and some might provide facts behind their pick but everyone can definitely agree that both quarterbacks are one of the greatest we’ve ever seen play in our lifetime.

Tom Brady resume is stellar just as Manning’s is but what defines the NFL and sports athletes are championships and Brady leads the way with 3 Super Bowl wins. Peyton Manning finally got over his struggles in the playoffs when he led the Indianapolis Colts to a title in 2006. But he hasn’t won since then.

Both quarterbacks are great regular season players but Manning has an edge over Brady as he has won four league MVPs and almost won his fifth last season but was edged out by Minnesota Vikings Adrian Peterson’s remarkable season.

Peyton Manning by the time he’s done playing in the NFL will own so many records as he already thrown for almost 60,000 yards. That’s an amazing number but his clutch performance in the playoffs has put Brady a tad bit over him when it comes to greatness by the people.

Brady might not have all of the records when he’s done playing but Super Bowl wins and overall appearances, now that’s where he makes his name and money. We all know the struggles he’s had in the past years picking up two more titles but you can see when he played in those big games he came to play.

So this debate is a tough one and a debate we just can’t say as sports fans that Brady is better because of his Super Bowl titles. We got to see first-hand how great Manning was when he was out the whole 2011 season due to injury and the Colts could barely win a game.

When Brady was out for a season Matt Cassel came in and won eleven regular season games for them. So who is more valuable I would have to say Peyton Manning while we can say that Tom Brady is more clutch when it counts in the playoffs

But the question is who is greater and I would have to say Brady because of his great success in the regular season with great numbers as he’s thrown for almost 45,000 yard in his career and also his three Super Bowl wins.

I can’t really think of any kind of argument that has been this close in sports in my generation. Who are you siding with? Brady or Manning?

Top 10 MLB Power Rankings

1.      Washington Nationals

2.      San Francisco Giants

3.      Los Angeles Angels

4.      Detroit Tigers

5.      Los Angeles Dodgers

6.      Cincinnati Reds

7.      Atlanta Braves

8.      Toronto Blue Jays

9.      New York Yankees

10.    Oakland A's

Top 10 NBA Power Rankings

 

1.      Miami Heat (53-14)

2.      San Antonio Spurs (52-16)

3.      Denver Nuggets (48-22)

4.      Oklahoma City Thunder (50-19)

5.      Memphis Grizzlies (46-21)

6.      Los Angeles Clippers (47-22)

7.      Indiana Pacers (42-26)

8.      New York Knicks (41-26)

9.      Brooklyn Nets (40-28)

10.    Atlanta Hawks (38-30) 

Stephen Curry: Shooting Runs in His Blood

Young NBA sharpshooter Stephen Curry is an up-and-coming superstar in the league today. Shooting runs in his blood, as his father Dell Curry was known for his three point shot when he played for the Charlotte Hornets in the 1990’s.
 

Stephen Curry has taken after his dad but a more upgraded version. He’s taken the whole NBA by storm as he scoring out of his mind while guiding his Golden State Warriors to another playoff berth.

Curry was snubbed this season for an All-Star appearance which would have been his first as he’s averaging right now 22 points per game and shooting 45 percent from the three. He has changed the way the Warriors play basketball and made them more competitive.

For years now the Golden State Warriors have been the laughing stock of the NBA but with the drafting of Curry in 2007, that has been put to rest. Many teams are respecting his play nightly and he’s considered the most dangerous player on his team.

The whole nation witnessed on February 27, 2013m Curry destroying the New York Knicks as he scored 54 points at the Garden. However, the Knicks prevailed with a win but will remember this game for a long time. That game has put Curry on the map for being the premier shooter of the NBA today and many teams are preparing for him so that he doesn’t have one of those games on them.

But when a player is a great shooter like Curry is, there is so much you can do to contain him. He’ll fire up shots that don’t seem to be makeable and drain them from downtown. Let’s keep a close eye on the 25 year old Curry as we see him blossom to one of the greatest shooters that we’ll see since Ray Allen and Reggie Miller.

Top 10 NHL Power Rankings

1.      Chicago Blackhawks (27-2-3)

2.      Anaheim Ducks (20-3-3)

3.      Boston Bruins (19-4-3)

4.      Pittsburgh Penguins (21-8-0)

5.      Montreal Canadiens (18-5-4)

6.      Vancouver Canucks (13-7-6)

7.      St. Louis Blues (15-10-2)

8.      Carolina Hurricanes (15-10-1)

9.      New Jersey Devils (13-9-6)

10.    Minnesota Wild (14-10-2)

I'm Sold: LeBron James is the MVP

I always knew the talent and greatness that LeBron James possessed for many years now. But I think I was in denial this season that James was in his own class and surpassed one of my favorite players of all-time Kobe Bryant as the best in the league.

Many are going to say it’s been a while now that LeBron James took the reins but I’m not sure about that. The reason why is because for many years James didn’t have the killer instinct that Kobe had. Now you see a big change in James game and his approach.

He’s taking the big shots and not shying away from it. He wants the ball in the final moments. Before you would see Dwyane Wade take the final shot. Now you see the switch in momentum on the floor and we know whose team that is in Miami.

LeBron James has already won three league MVPs and going for another one this season. As it’s looking right now we have a winner and that’s James. His numbers are phenomenal as he’s averaging 26.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.1 assist per game. Those are numbers of a MVP in my book.

The only person that can stop James is himself. I don’t know many players in the league that can contain this man-child. The funny thing is that James can probably win league MVP honors every year but like Michael Jordan the NBA wants to switch it up for the fans.

James being that great is just so unfair for the NBA. He just makes it look to easy and that his oponents don't belong on the same court as him.

Well we now know that James made the right decision on joining the Miami Heat because he’s putting that team on his back as they are rolling right now in the NBA with a season’s best 18 game winning streak.

Sorry I doubted James this season and I only wanted my New York Knick Carmelo Anthony to win it but he’s missed too many games and we’re seeing LeBron take his game to another level in the past 20 games.

The Tribute: That Boy Can Fly

NBA player Shannon Brown is starring in tonight's Tribute because we all remember his day with the Los Angeles Lakers when he was a high flyer and dunking on whomever was in his territory. Brown is considered around the league as one of the most athletic players we have and he's proving that. Now that he's with the Phoenix Suns his dunks have been under the radar. But a least we can enjoy this dunk for now; poor Pistons!

Top 10 NBA Power Rankings

1. Miami Heat (46-14)
2. Oklahoma City Thunder (46-16)
3. San Antonio Spurs (48-15)
4. Los Angeles Clippers (44-20)
5. Memphis Grizzlies (41-19)
6. Denver Nuggets (41-22)
7. New York Knicks (37-22)
8. Indiana Pacers (39-23)
9. Boston Celtics (34-24)
10. Brooklyn Nets (36-26)

Andrew Bynum is Washed up at 25

NBA player and Philadelphia 76ers Andrew Bynum is out indefinitely the rest of the season with ongoing career knee problems and thinks about going under the knife in the offseason. Not that he played a minute this season anyway. It’s just to show you Bynum is at it again with his lack luster of passion for the game that has made him rich many times over.

Tonight’s article isn’t about money or his hairstyle that most compare to a chia pet. It’s about his arrogance about playing through pain in his career. He feels that he doesn’t have to, even if he can play through it.

Back in L.A. Kobe Bryant was the one to push Bynum through his early career with the team. All the great ones in their careers all had pains and injuries and found ways to play through it. They were competitors and fighters. They wanted to give the fans their monies worth.

I understand there are some injuries that you have to sit out and let it heal but as we witnessed in Andrew Bynum’s career, he sat out many games while in L.A. and in Philly. I even thought there were times he could play but just didn’t want to. Bynum just looks disconnected with his current team and at age 25 his career doesn’t look bright anymore.

The Philly fans wanted to see him this season and help out a team that needed his services to give them a boost to get them over the hump. Even with Bynum they aren’t a championship team but they would’ve been a top 5 or 6 team in the Eastern Conference with his defense and much improved offense.

Bynum when healthy is probably the top center in the NBA hands down. But he shows people that he’s not all willing to sacrifice and that’s going to hurt him going into free agency this offseason. I never thought he’s a max player because of his commitment to the game and with his career injuries; I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s out the league within five years.

Bynum has a lot to prove next season if he wants fans and NBA players to respect him.

New York Knicks Carmelo Anthony Should be Glorified

New York Knicks superstar Carmelo Anthony was the missing piece to the puzzle that the team has been yearning for since the glory days of Patrick Ewing. I don’t know if it’s a New York thing but we at times don’t appreciate the greatness in a player when we have them.

For instance Carmelo Anthony has been a stud in this league and now in my opinion is a top 5 player and we don’t give him enough credit for what he’s brought to the table since coming to the Knicks. Before he was a part of this team the New York Knicks were a .500 club at best.

Yes they had Amar’e Stoudemire playing lights out before Melo joined the team but with his injuries, how long did we think that was going to last. Amar’e hasn’t been consistently healthy for the past couple of years so he being the number one option on a team wasn’t his calling. He did carry the load for them but that’s not his role.

Now we have Melo which is a strike first player and one of the best scorers we’ve ever seen. He seems to amaze the crowd nightly and I look and don’t see him being glorified as he should be. I’m not saying he’s a LeBron James or anything but since when did we have a player almost averaging 30 points per game and leading the Knicks to a number three seed in the Eastern Conference. Hmm, I scratch my head on that.

This isn’t beat the Knicks fans up night but I just want people to take a step back to really enjoy this ride because we are witnessing greatness of a player that doesn’t come by so often and guys, he’s on our team that we love. So soak in the moment and appreciate the guy they call “Melo”.

Lastly, let’s stop saying that if the New York Knicks don’t win a championship the seasons a bust. I guess that the last 40 years have been because that’s the last time they’ve won anything.

Where are They Now: Ken Griffey Jr.

Ken Griffey Jr. now can call himself a Hall of Famer after it was announced on January 22, 2013. It is well deserved for a great player of his caliber that has given his all to the game of baseball for 22 seasons.

Griffey was an expert on field as he was a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner for his position in center field. Also how can we pass on his power hitting through his career to where he hit 630 home runs. Currently Griffey ranks sixth all-time in home run hits.

This wasn’t an easy task to obtain with so much pressure for being Ken Griffey Sr. son; the stakes were always high for this young man growing up. Griffey was a hot commodity coming out of high school for his baseball and football skills. Many Division I schools were courting Griffey.

Griffey decided that he wanted to be just like his father from the days Griffey Sr. played for the Cincinnati Reds. He wanted to go pro and that’s what he did. Griffey was drafted by the Seattle Mariners first overall in their amateur draft and he didn’t disappoint!

From the start of his career he made a name for himself as a prolific hitter and great defender in the majors. But what was holding him back in his career was a World Series title. Griffey made the most money in his era with lucrative endorsements and team contracts, but winning at the ultimate level was missing.

Many people don’t know or even remember at that age of 18 Griffey attempted to commit suicide. This isn’t something that I’m proud of to bring back into the light for his fans to see. With the pressures from his father of playing baseball and the stresses at home he just felt depressed and wanted to end his life.

Thankfully the attempt didn’t go through successfully because the total of 278 aspirins that he swallowed didn’t kill him but put him in intensive care in Ohio. I must say that’s a lot of pills to swallow and to survive that it’s a miracle in itself.

Today Griffey resides in Florida with his wife and three kids. Now at the age of 43 the former legendary player is just enjoying life and his current job with the Seattle Mariners as a special consultant. I miss watching one of my favorite players of all-time gone from the game. But Griffey has put some great memories in our minds that we’ll never forget.

How do you remember Ken Griffey Jr.?

Top 10 NHL Power Rankings

1.      Chicago Blackhawks (18-0-3)

2.      Anaheim Ducks (15-3-1)

3.      Boston Bruins (13-2-2)

4.      Montreal Canadians (13-4-3)

5.      Ottawa Senators (12-6-3)

6.      Vancouver Canucks (10-5-4)

7.      Pittsburgh Penguins (13-8-0)

8.      New Jersey Devils (10-6-4)

9.      Toronto Maple Leafs (13-9-0)

10.    Los Angeles Kings (10-6-2)