Lots to catch up on

So its been about a month since I last blogged so there is quite a bit to catch up on in the world of sports. The Saints are the World Champions, much to the chagrin of this blogger. Hey we can't be right all the time, right? The Winter Olympics have come and gone. But to be quite honest because I was in Taiwan i missed most of as they did not broadcast the games . Congrats none the less to the Korean figure skate who won the first gold or medal for that matter for South Korea outside of speed skating. Great job Canada for salvaging your Olympics on the last day by beating the US in hockey in one of the more memorable games over the past quarter century. Props to the female Canadian figure skater who despite the death of her mother just a few days prior to her event managed to skate her way to a bronze medal. It definitely shows a lot about who she is. Shaun White is the man, that guy just kills the super pipe like no other. Ohno got his record 8th medal, and thats pretty much all the highlights I can conjure up as I write this.

So lets start with my favorite sport football. Several big events at the collegiate and professional levels have occurred since I last blogged. First, National signing day, where high school recruits officially sign with a program and once again the University of Florida reeled in the #1 ranked recruiting class. However, the important thing when looking at these rankings is that you cannot properly evaluate a class until at least 3 years have passed. While it looks good on paper now, sometimes high school success does not always translate well to the next level. The same can be said for the transition from college to the pros. Which leads me to my next topic which is the NFL scouting combine, which is also coupled with the Senior Bowl and now that we are in the month of March, college pro days. This is a time for collegiate players to really show themselves off to NFL scouting and coaching personnel. Of course, many pro teams with their huge scouting department have already been following the majority of the top players for quite sometime. This just enables the scouts to finally meet these individuals and evaluate them in a different light. The truth of the matter is most NFL teams have already put together their draft board rankings already and will only adjust them slightly based on all these workouts. And as the past has shown if you put too much stock in a player based on one great workout you're more than likely to get burned. The true indicator of success has been to look at the tape and watch them in game. Lets be honest, any one can be coached up to perform well in test, especially if the testing parameters are already defined. As a 49er fan, I can't help but be excited about the draft as the 49ers can really add playmakers to the roster. Players who in my mind immediately improve the roster and can start right away. I'll be putting up my mock draft in just a bit so you can see my analysis on what players are going where and why these team should draft them. Okay, on to the next one...

So what else has excited me, well first off spring training for MLB has started which means the regular season is not too far away. As a San Francisco Giants Fan, or for anyone that is a fan, the preseason is always a good time because most fans are pretty optimistic about their teams fortunes. So here's hoping that with the Giants great pitching that they can finally put together an offensively productive season that matches the pitching.

Champions League soccer is back in full swing. We are currently in the round of 16 and once again my Manchester United Red Devils are on the verge of advancing to the quarters, but first the must deal with Ac Milan and David Beckham's return to Old Trafford. Its a big match today and there will be a lot of eyes watching this game. Speaking of soccer, the World cup is only a few months away and I can't wait. The build up has been intense especially with my favorite national team England facing off against the US in their opening matches. I'll be on the edge of my seat for this one. As for the US there is no reason for them not to advance out of the group stage at this years world cup and if they don't, it will be an epic fail. Don't worry there are going to be more soccer specific blogs coming up soon, a few upcoming topics are Landon Donavon v. david Beckham, World cup and the state of the MLS and what needs to be done to improve the sport here in the US.

On to basketball, where March Madness has just begun. This is by far one of my most favorite times of year when talking about sports. The NCAA tournament has everything you want out of sports and in some cases this tournament represents whats most pure about sports. Brackets are out this Sunday, and some crazy things will be happening. For example, defending National Champions North Carolina will not be in the field, neither will UConn, UCLA, Arizona, and a host of other perennial teams that you normally see in the field. Instead this years field should include one of the weakest at-large fields we have seen in recent memories, multiple teams from conferences such as the Big West and WCC will be in as well as teams from lesser conferences from the midwest and east coast. Stay tuned, more to come with the brackets are released on Selection Sunday.

As for the NBA, this will be dominated by the Lakers as I am a Lakers fan. I love Kobe Bryant, any one that knows me knows that I am purple and gold through and through. But this year, coming off a championship there has been lapses of intensity and resembles the old Laker squad of the early 2000's that could just turn it on and turn it off. Its very disheartening as a fan. We should not be getting blown out by the Nuggets, or lose to the Magic or even lose to the Cavs who many say is the best team in the league, but until they do anything in the playoffs I don't have much respect for them. In fact, I believe the Cavs will fizzle out again thanks the Magic. The Magic just match up really well with Cleveland and with Shaq out with a thumb injury they are pretty much the same team with the exception of the addition of Antwan Jamison. Do they have enough, I don't think so. Even with Big Z coming back, the Magic in my mind are the better team and the road to the finals goes through Orlando instead of Cleveland.

The Lakers still own the league and until they get unseated for the Championship the road to be crowned champions goes through the Staples Center. My biggest concern is the lack of fluidity in the team especially recently. The Lakers played much better when Kobe was out and not to say they aren't a better team without him because he brings up the whole team but the flow of the offense is too stagnant everyone just stands around and watches Kobe, whereas when he sat out the ball was moving and utilized the many weapons this team owns. Here's hoping the figure this out prior to the playoffs so they can just roll folks. There is no reason Kobe should be hitting 6 game winning shots a game because as exciting as it is to watch, I'll take a 20 point blowout and the peace of mind that the game is in hand before the 4th quarter has even started.

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