The Phoenix Suns are the best team in the NBA because…

This may just be the most controversial post I have ever written. Many of you may not like what they hear and I can understand that but I ask you to bear with me as I present my case which I hope you will find to be very convincing, or at the very least relatively interesting. I also ask that you remember that I myself am Canadian as you read this post because it will help to better explain my opinion. I would like to argue that Steve Nash is NOT the greatest player in the league and that he is definitely NOT a two-time (pending the three-peat) MVP of the NBA (although I suppose that he is technically already a two-time MVP).

WHAAAAAAAT???

I know what your thinking…Steve Nash is so amazing, he has taken a decrepit Phoenix Suns team from absolute obscurity to an NBA Championship contender every single year in a Western Conference that is so superior to its rival East that an 8th seeded team in the West that will almost definitely lose in the first round, could easily win the Eastern Conference. I believe we all know the case for why Steve Nash is great and why he has won two MVPs so I won’t provide the other side for this argument. If you don’t know then you can just start reading any article ever written in the last 3 years on Steve Nash, it comes up eventually.

So why is Steve Nash not the greatest? Well thats an easy one. I am going to avoid the stats part of this argument because if anyone dares bring up the stats question into an MVP conversation arguing in favor of Nash, they would be committing conversational suicide. Nash’s stats are great but they are not unbelievable and over the last two years, there have been many players with similar as well as better stats than him who lost the MVP to Nash. The argument in favor of Nash is not about his stats but about what he brings to his team, therefore we can pretty much discount the stats part of this argument. The argument for Nash is the fact that he makes his teammates better in such dramatic fashion that he is deserving of two MVPs. So let’s see if thats true.

There are three all star players on the Suns and they have all been there for the last three years (if you don’t know who they are: Shawn Marion, Amare Stoudamire and Leandr…hehe jk…Steve Nash) which is when Nash’s assist average spiked from 8.8 the year before (his previous career high) to 11.5 (his first season with the Suns and his first MVP).

Lets discuss Marion First. Shawn Marion is one of the most versatile players in the NBA. This season alone he is averaging some extremely impressive statistics: 18.9 pts/game, 10.1 reb/game and 52.7% shooting. Now these stats are definitely not out of the ordinary for Marion who has averaged over 17 points per game every year since his rookie year. Last season as well as this season are his first two seasons he has shot over 50 percent however he is a fantastic career shooter averaging a career shooting percentage of 47.7%. He is also a career 10.1 reb/game rebounder. I give his career stats simply to show that Marion’s performance is in now way out of the ordinary and cannot be contributed to the addition of Steve Nash. Marion is a great offensive player but he is actually a very big defensive playmaker who has a career 1.9 steals/game and 1.3 blocks/game and changes the game every game thanks to his defense. He is one of the best small forwards in the league and definitely one of the most versatile and athletic players in the entire NBA (he even ranked himself 5th in the top 5 current dunkers in the NBA…Stoudamire was #3 lol).

Now Let’s discuss Amare. Stoudamire has been in the league for 5 years however he was injured for all but 3 games last year so its really more like four. Amare has a career average of 19.6 pts/game (excluding last season) and 8.9 reb/game, 0.9 steals/game and 1.4 blocks/game which is very good for such a young player. Definitely all star material wouldn’t you say? Not only that but he is shooting an unbelievable 60% this year and is a career 52.3% shooter! Thats absolutely amazing, even in today’s NBA. Amare Stoudamire is one of the top 10 centers in the league and I am positive many people would give him top 5. I know what your going to say…”Even without Amare, the Suns were still pretty damn good last year weren’t they?”. Very interesting point but lets look very closely at that argument. Two years ago, when Marion, Nash and Amare were all playing (remember thats three all stars) the Suns went 62-20 which is pretty amazing. The next year, without Amare the Suns went 54-28. That is an 8 game difference in record and although it made very little difference since they still won their division, we saw just how telling that absence of the big guy really was during the playoffs when the Lakers took a 3-1 game lead in the playoffs. Of course they self destructed and the Suns were able to come back and win the series but they still didn’t make it to the NBA Finals.

In fact, the Suns have never made it to the NBA Finals but I won’t hold that against Nash as I would not hold the fact that Manning has never been to the Superbowl (until now) against him. Steve Nash is a great player and definitely one of the best point guards in the league but I do not believe that a player on a team with three all stars in their starting five can really be classified as the MOST valuable player to his team. At this rate, with the requirements we have set, Nash will be getting the MVP every year for the next 10 years which is completely ridiculous. He’s great but let’s be honest, that TEAM is pretty great too.

Oh and by the way, if you even dare to say, “Well Jordan had three all stars on his team and he won back to back MVPs so why can’t Nash?” First remember who you would be talking about, the greatest basketball player who ever lived and second his stats were absolutely ridonvculous and cannot even be compared to Nash’s never mind the fact that he won the Championship both times…something Nash has yet to even challenge for. Oh yeah, and Jordan was a tenacious defender who made game changing plays on both ends of the court. Nash couldn’t defend a salt shaker.

Nash is great…he just isn’t two time MVP great.

Colts will win Superbowl…and Manning impressed me

First off, I would like to say how much Peyton Manning impressed me yesterday. I’m not talking about his play or the fact that he put his team on his shoulders after throwing an interception to Samuel for a TD that put his team down 21-3 in the first half and completed the largest comeback in AFC Title game history (because no one should be impressed that Peyton Manning was able to do it) but with the way he handled himself during the post game press conference after the most emotional and meaningful game of his career. During the press conference, Peyton was understandably asked if this game was retribution for him, if this victory against the Patriots in the AFC Title game was his revenge or vindication against Brady and Belichick. Everyone would have understood if he said yes and proceeded to explain how the giant monkey that had lived on his back for the last 4 years had been lifted but Manning was PERFECT.

“I don’t get into monkeys and vindication,” he said. “I don’t play that card. I know how hard I worked this season, I know how hard I worked this week.”

Thats just one of the perfect lines Manning uttered yesterday and it exemplifies just how great a person he is. Refusing to be labeled despite the fact that he had been labeled for the last 4 years and for the last 72 hours especially…he spent most of the time criticizing himself for his interception and complementing his teammates for a job well done. No monkey, no vindication, no revenge…Peyton made no excuses, gave no explanations. He’s just plain great.

Now I cannot imagine any circumstance where the Colts could possibly lose the Superbowl to the Chicago Bears. The amount of momentum the Colts and especially Peyton Manning are entering the Superbowl with is overwhelming and reminds me of a certain Red Sox team just a couple of years ago. When the Red Sox came back from 3-0 to beat the Yankees, they had so much momentum that the World Series was merely a formality. That is how I imagine this Superbowl will go. Despite the fact that the leagues best offense will face the leagues best defense, I just find it hard to imagine Peyton Manning getting to the big game (especially considering the record setting way he did it) and coming up short.

Colts win and I guarantee no matter what his stats are (although chances are they’ll be pretty good) Peyton Manning takes home the Superbowl MVP.

Heat vs. Lakers Tonight!

The Miami Heat will play the Los Angeles Lakers tonight in a rematch of the unbelievable Christmas Day game. Just want you all to watch because last time these two guys played (without the old All Star Starter??? Shaq) Wade completely dominated in a great game that the Heat won. Round 2 goes tonight and I expect Kobe to come out firing in retaliation and considering that the Heat cannot win without Wade scoring at least 30…this should be a great game. Check it out tonight at 10:00pm.

Is this the Colts’ year?

The Colts have made it to another AFC Final…unfortunately for them, so have the Patriots. To be honest, I thought the Colts were going to be eliminated in the first round of this years playoffs and when they weren’t, I attributed it to…well come on, it was just the first round. Then I thought they were definitely going to lose in the second round to the Ravens but they didn’t and now, I find myself becoming more of a believer by the second. The last couple of years, the Colts have entered the playoffs by blowing through the regular season and leaving nothing left for the playoffs. They come in as favorites to win it all but can’t seem to even make it to the big game for reasons that are probably beyond any of our comprehension (no offense).

But this year is different.

The Colts came into this year’s playoffs having completely self destructed the second half of their season, or so the media would have you believe. They come in with so many defensive issues that I’ve heard people completely dismiss them as Superbowl contenders (umm…ya, I’m talking about myself) despite the fact that they have the second best QB (but most talented) in the league (in case you were wondering, Brady is #1). The Colts are fooling us all into thinking that they are not title contenders because they want to finally be the underdog. Less pressure is better but the Colts have taken it to a whole new level. Despite all of this, I STILL think they will lose to the Patriots come this weekend because it looks like the PAts have some of that old playoff magic still with them…that interception to a fumble to a recovery reminded me of the tuck play a couple of years ago.

Fool me once Manning, shame on me…Fool me twice, shame on you.

Titans ALMOST make the playoffs…

I have to mention this simply because of how disappointed I am that the Titans didn’t win their game against the Patriots yesterday. The Tennessee Titans were one of the MANY teams still vying for a playoff berth yesterday afternoon although the odds of them claiming that last playoff spot were far greater than most teams. The Titans needed the Broncos, Bengals and Jaguars (all teams that were fighting for playoff spots as well) to lose as well as winning their game against the Patriots. They were written off as a 60-1 underdog to make the playoffs. 60-1! That’s less than a 7 percent chance!

Well, Sunday came and went and heres what happened.

First, the Steelers vs. Bengals game:

Thanks to a Willie Parker TD during the second quarter, the Steelers led the Bengals for pretty much the entire game until the 4th quarter came around and both teams started to light up the eachothers endzones like it was the fourth of July. The Bengals were down 7-3 until Chris Henry caught a 66 yard TD pass from Palmer to take the lead 10-7. Willie Parker scored with seven and a half minutes remaining to retake the lead but then with just 2:47 left, Palmer and Stewart connected on a 5 yard TD pass to give the Bengals the lead and what looked like the game. The Bengals were sitting pretty and were probably looking forward to a playoff spot and a nice post game party, that is until the Steelers marched down the field like the Bengals had replaced their starting defense with some of their cheerleaders and Jeff Reed kicked a 35 yard field goal to tie the game with just over a minute to go. Graham missed his kick for the Bengals and the game went to overtime. The Steelers won the toss and on their first possesion, Big Ben connected with Santonio Holmes for a 67 yard TD pass. Game Over…23-17.

Second, the Chiefs vs. Jaguars game:

This game was an absolute firefight as both teams seem to score at will. A combined three TD’s in the Second Quarter and a combined four TD’s in the Third Quarter made this game very unpredictable and extremely entertaining. The Chiefs took the lead early in the game and never surrendered it as every time the Jags scored they answered back with a score of their own. Going into the Fourth Quarter, the Chiefs were up 35-23 and the Jaguars could only muster a single TD in an attempt to save their season. It wasn’t good enough. 35-30.

Third, the 49ers vs. Broncos game:

This game was really the one that gave me no hope before the start of Sunday’s games. The Denver Broncos just needed to win their game to ensure they make the playoffs and all they had to do it against was the lowly 49ers. The Broncos took an early 13-0 lead on a pair of Jason Elam field goals and a Champ Bailey (my pick for Defensive Player of the Year) 70 yard interception return for a TD. Going into halftime the Broncos were up 13-3 and looked to have a comfortable lead over San Fran…but the 49ers would not be taken for granted. In the Third Quarter, Smith threw a 32 yard TD pass to Moran Norris (who?) and Walt Harris scored on a 28 yard interception to give the 49ers their first lead of the game. Going into the Fourth it was 17-16…for the 49ers. In the Fourth, a pair of Nedney field goals gave San Francisco a seven point lead with just over 6 minutes remaining but the Broncos refused to let their dreams of a wild card berth die on New Years eve. In a four and a half minute drive, Jay Cutler marched his team 80 yards down field on just 10 plays and with only a minute and a half left, connected with Tony Scheffler for a nine yard TD pass to tie the game and send it into overtime. Unfortunately for the Broncos, that is where they fell short. After a very long overtime period where both teams failed to score, Joe Nedney kicked a 36 yard field goal with under two minutes left to win it for the 49ers and end the Broncos season. 26-23.

The Titans game actually happened before the Broncos game so I knew they were eliminated well before the Broncos game finished but the fact that pretty much everything that the Titans needed to happen (besides for them winning of course) actually happened is still pretty unbelievable. As for the Titans game…

Titans vs. Patriots game:

The Titans went into this game knowing they needed a lot of help to make the playoffs but for any of that to matter, they needed to win their game first. Vince Young had led his team to four Fourth Quarter comebacks in their last four games and that was very comforting considering they trailed the Pats going into the Fourth. One of the most entertaining parts of the game was actually watching the battle between PacMan Jones (the Titans punt returner) and Todd Sauerbrun (the Patriots punter). After PacMan returned a punt 81 yards for a TD with just 30 seconds left before halftime to put the Titans back in the game, Sauerbrun began to punt the ball several different ways in an attempt to remove PacMan’s return skills from the game…and it worked. With PacMan unable to return the ball the way the titans needed him to, the entire game was put on Vince Young’s shoulders, and he delivered…for a couple of minutes. With a minute and half remaining in the Third Quarter and the Titans down by 11, Vince Young rallied his team down the field and on a broken play, made an absolutely unbelievable 28 yard run into the endzone by breaking tackles and dodging flying Patriots to restore hope to the Titan faithful. That hope didn’t last long. Key mistakes by the Titans and Vince Young gave the Patriots the ball and they capitalized by scoring two consecutive TDs to restore their huge lead. There would be no Fourth Quarter comeback and the Titans dreams of a playoff berth remained just that…a dream. 40-23

I can’t help but wonder what could have been if only the Titans had won that game. A 60-1 underdog with perhaps the slimmest shot of making it to the NFL Playoffs in NFL History could have made it if not for just one game. The Titans got all the help they needed but couldn’t take care of the one game they had control over.

Happy New Year, Vince.

10 Reasons why Baseball is a weird sport

Baseball has never really made much sense to me. I mean, every time I watch it I always wonder (more than during any other sport) “How in the world did anyone come up with this game?”. Not to say Baseball isn’t a great sport or that it isn’t fun to watch or play, I’m just saying that all the rules, restrictions and obligations involved in the sport are just plain weird. I mean how lazy and out of shape do you have to be to recommend during the invention of a sport that instead of forcing a player to run after he has reached base, we should allow him to come back to the bench and sit on his ass while a pinch runner runs the bases for him? In honor of Baseball’s idiocies (no offense) and the new year (why not), I found this collection of top ten reasons Baseball is a weird sport and thought it was pretty funny so here it is.

[1] If a batter fails two-thirds of the time, they’re still considered an excellent batter. It’s too bad this standard isn’t applied to everything else in life.

[2] It is legal to “steal” in this game. This is, perhaps, a questionable example for children.

[3] If you aren’t such a good hitter, you can have a pinch hitter bat for you. If you aren’t such a fast runner, you can have someone–a pinch runner–come in and run for you. At what point, you might wonder, is a team entirely comprised of “pinch” players?

[4] There’s a rule preventing pitchers from spitting on the ball. They can spit anywhere else they like, apparently.

[5] If a batter walks with the bases loaded, he is credited with an RBI (Run Batted In). That’s right: even though he didn’t hit the ball.

[6] The game is played on dirt and grass, but if the ball gets dirty, it is replaced with a new clean ball.

[7] If a batter accidentally hits the catcher when swinging, it’s the catcher’s fault, even if the catcher gets injured. The batter is awarded a base. The catcher gets an apology, if he’s lucky.

[8] The coaches and managers wear the same uniforms as the players.

[9] When a pitcher walks a batter, the batter jogs to first base. Incongruous, but it is a nice show of effort.

[10] The 7th-inning stretch makes baseball the only sport where spectators must take part in calisthenics.

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Happy New Year!

It’s the new year and I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who has supported me and my new blog. The Sports Fanatic has been a success so far and I hope that it only grows even larger in 2007. I wish everybody a great new year and Thank You for everything.

Sorry About the Lack of Posts

I have been on vacation in New York for the last week and haven’t had the chance to post anything on my site lately so I’m sorry for that. My vacation was fantastic but I’m back now and ready to get back to writing.