Will a Primetime Game against the Hapless Wizards Get the Nuggets on Track? November 9, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Allen Iverson, Basketball, Carmelo Anthony, Denver Nuggets, NBA, Nuggets, Sports, Washington Wizards, Wizards.add a comment
After getting blown out by the new look Boston Celtics two nights ago, the Nuggets have gotten an early holiday gift from the NBA, the winless Washington Wizards. Since starting the season 2-0, the Nuggets have lost their last 3 games. In the last three contests, the Nuggets were only able to score a combined 293 points while their opponents racked up a combined 331.
Meanwhile, the offensive powerhouse that is Carmelo Anthony is averaging only 24 points a game (after averaging nearly 30 a game last season). The offense that was supposed to have gelled nicely during the off season isn’t even ranked in the top 10 of the NBA (currently 12th in scoring) after ranking 3rd in the NBA last season.
The bright spot in all this doom and gloom are Allen Iverson and Marcus Camby. Iverson is leading the team in points, assists and steals. Even more impressive, Iverson is 6th in the league in scoring, 7th in assists and is currently leading the league in steals. Camby is currently 2nd in the league in rebounds and 3rd in blocked shots (it is only a matter of time until he leads the league).
It is hard to pinpoint exactly what ails the 2-3 Nuggets. Luckily, we’re only a few games into the regular season. After six games last year, the Nuggets were sitting at .500. Let’s hope they’re sitting on another .500 record after tonight’s game. Tune into ESPN 6 PM MST (8 PM EST) for all the action.
Week 9 in the NFL: Halfway Through and Better Than Ever November 7, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Colts, Football, NFL, Patriots, Sports.1 comment so far
I’m not going to lie to you; I thought it would be impossible for this week to even come close to all the hype that had preceded it. How could Super Bowl 41 ½ (Patriots at Colts) even come close to living up to the expectation of the greatest regular match up of all-time? Well it did. If you would have told me that two major NFL records would be broken by the end of Monday night (in the same game no less) and that one of those records would have been broken by a rookie running back, there is no way I would have taken you seriously. Yet, it happened. We learned a lot this week but here is the important stuff…
1. The Patriots are damn good. Billed as the greatest regular season match up ever, this game had some big shoes to fill. The winner would undoubtedly be crowned this year’s champion, no need for Super Bowl XLII in Phoenix, AZ. The only way this game could have been better was if it had gone into overtime. Both Tom Brady and Peyton Manning looked human and somehow that made the game that much more intriguing. By the end of the first half, you felt that the Colts would pull it off. They were the first team to hold the Patriots scoreless in their first possession. It was the first time the Patriots had trailed going into half-time. Tom Brady looked human after throwing two interceptions. It was good (Colts) against evil (Patriots), good had to prevail. As the game neared the end it looked like good would come out on top but with 3:15 left in the fourth quarter, the Patriots went up 24-20. It was a lead they never relinquished. It was the final score of a great game.
2. With the 7th pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, the Minnesota Vikings have selected the greatest running back in NFL history. After Adrian Peterson’s 30-carry, 296-yard, record-setting performance is there any doubt as to who the best back in the league is? No there isn’t. Also evident is the fact that six teams in the 2007 NFL Draft really screwed up. Oddly enough, Peterson and his Vikings were squaring off against the reigning NFL MVP LaDainian Tomlinson who most regard as the greatest running back playing today. By the end of Sunday the torch had been passed. A mere nine weeks into the season and Peterson has established himself as the best back in the league, maybe the best back in history. Peterson has played eight games and has already amassed 1036 yards and an impressive 6.6 yards per carry average. All this while facing eight and nine man fronts. Barring injury, he’s already punched his ticket to Canton.
3. Antonio Cromartie is now and will forever be an NFL record holder. With his 109-yard missed field goal return for a touchdown, Cromartie has branded his name in the NFL record books. Lucky for him, no one can ever have a play longer than 109 yards. Unlucky for him, Adrian Peterson stole the lime light with a more impressive NFL record.
4. The Cleveland Browns and the Detroit Lions are dumpster franchises no more! Playing against (and beating) the likes of the Seattle Seahawks and Denver Broncos isn’t overly impressive but these were statement games for both Cleveland and Detroit. Won in different styles, these games have put these two teams in the middle of playoff talks for the foreseeable future. With their overtime win, the Browns showed they have the heart and desire that can propel them into the playoffs (more on this game in my next post). With their complete dominance of the Broncos, the Lions showed they have the shear power to compete and win an intriguing NFC North division. On Thursday, November 22nd we’ll be treated to excellent food and an excellent NFL match up (Green Bay at Detroit).
5. The 1972 Dolphins have circled December 9th on their calendars. In the Patriots drive towards 16-0, the only real obstacle at this point appears to be their December game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. With their win on Monday night, the Steelers opened some eyes and showed that they could be the only thing that stands in the way of the Patriots and their perfect season. The ’72 Dolphins sure hope that is the case.
6. Shaun Alexander and the Seattle offensive line are shells of their former selves. Facing one of the leagues worse defenses, Alexander could only muster a pathetic 32 yards on 14 carries. In relief of Alexander, Maurice Morris was able to gain 55 yards on 9 carries but wasn’t able to pick up a critical fourth-and-short in overtime. What happened to the vaunted Seattle running game?
7. The West isn’t wild, it just plain sucks. This week’s action saw every team from the West (both AFC and NFC versions) get beat, save one team. The only team that didn’t lose was the winless St. Louis Rams who happened to be on their bye. Denver, Kansas City, Oakland and San Diego all got beat. Arizona, San Francisco and Seattle all got beat. The Wests currently have a combined 22-42 record. That’s good enough for a .344 win percentage.
We are halfway through the season and already it’s been one of the more memorable starts in a while. Stay tuned for more…
The NBA and The Sportsmaster 8000: Back and better than ever! October 30, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Basketball, NBA, Sports.add a comment
Well folks, tonight is the start of the 2007-2008 NBA season. While this is considered by most to be the official start of the season, we all know that the real season doesn’t start until Carmelo and friends tip off tomorrow night against K-Dur (Kevin Durant) and the Seattle/Oklahoma City Supersonics. All I know is that I’m excited. You can bet that after the gambling refs scandal and the Isaiah “Franchise Killer” Thomas fiasco, that Howard Stern is excited too. This season is going to be good.
If you’re still reading this you are probably asking yourself why but I ask you why not? Do you really have anything better to do? So to keep you entertained, I’ll give you my NBA predictions for this season.
1. The Nuggets are going to win it all. Completely unsubstantiated? Yes. Do I give a shit? No.
2. The Celtics will be more than competitive, they will actually be good. Garnett, Allan and Pierce have to be good for something. Oh yeah, and Boston pretty much owns every major sport this year.
3. Manu Ginobili will get a nose job but won’t react well to the operation and will have to retire. I count on this happening the first week of the season.
4. Howard Stern will bitch about something, try and get the NBA to switch to uniforms circa 1970, and suspend ‘Melo for eight games for giving a Make-A-Wish kid a free jersey.
5. Mark Cuban will get fined by the NBA.
Alright, here are my picks for seeds 1-8 in the East and West.
Eastern Conference
1. Chicago
2. Detroit
3. Miami
4. Cleveland
5. Boston
6. Indiana
7. Toronto
8. Washington D.C.
Western Conference
1. Phoenix
2. Denver
3. San Antonio
4. Dallas
5. Utah
6. Houston
7. L.A. Lakers
8. Golden State
Well there you go my friends, predictions you can count on from the only source you need, The Sportsmaster 8000! Stay tuned!
Back and tighter than Brian Bosworth’s fade! July 30, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Football, NFL, Sports.1 comment so far
That’s right ladies and gents (or maybe just gent, singular), The Sportsmaster 8000 is back and ready to bring you the hard-hitting blogging you’ve been missing. After a brief hiatus that had nothing to do with me not paying my taxes (oddly, my last post was on April 15th), I am dedicated to bringing you the classic writings that brought you laughs and solid news.
Stay tuned for more folks. Look for Uncle Rico’s “How much you wanna make a bet I can throw a football over them mountains?” Camp News and Notes!
The Physics of Football April 15, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Blogroll, Football, NFL, Seahawks, Seattle Seahawks, Sports, Uncategorized.add a comment
A forum member over at the Seattle PI Seahawks forum posted an interesting link that gives some insight into the physics of football. It is a great read, check it out here!
It gave me a much greater appreciation as to what football players endure. Pretty impressive these guys can walk after a game. Almost justifies those crazy salaries.
Lead by Camby’s season-high nine blocked shots, Nuggets beat Hornets April 13, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Basketball, Blogroll, Denver Nuggets, Hornets, NBA, Nuggets, Sports, Uncategorized.2 comments
The stat line for Marcus Camby read like this; 11 rebounds, nine blocked shots and 15 points. And for that, Camby was definately the player of the game. With David Stern in attendance, the Nuggets wanted to make a statement (don’t you EVER bench our best player again), but from the start it looked like the Hornets would play the spoiler. That would have been fitting, it was the Hornets night. After playing two seasons in Oklahoma City, this was the last game the Hornets would play in the state best-known for its college football. I know Oklahomans are bummed out, but I doubt the Hornets will be in New Orleans very long. They say it is supposed to be an active hurricane season.
Despite it being the Hornets’ night, the real story was Marcus Camby. Going back to his game against the Clippers, Camby has racked up a total of 28 blocked shots. If you don’t find that amazing then you should probably stop watching sports and stop calling yourself a sports fan. Camby’s nine-block effort tonight was made more impressive by the fact that he came alive when the Nuggets really needed him. The Nuggets hadn’t lead since the score was 6-5. They were shooting horrible and couldn’t seem to get into the flow of the game. Luckily, the Nuggets, and Camby, had brought their lunch pails because it was time to go to work.
As the game was winding down, it looked like the Nuggets would have to count this one as a loss. Then Camby decided it was time to throw one of his infamous block parties. With a little less than four and a half minutes left in the game, and the Nuggets trailing 96-101, Camby blocked a Marc Jackson layup and the Nuggets got their spark. Camby would go on to block three more in the closing minutes allowing the Nuggets to pull ahead. Up 104-103, the Nuggets never looked back (sure their were only 36 seconds left, but hey).
‘Melo had 31 points on 12 of 22 shooting. Iverson added 23 points and Steve Blake had a double-double with 10 assists and 10 points.
Where are the rest of the apologies? April 12, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Blogroll, Duke, Justice, Lacrosse, NCAA, Sports, Uncategorized.add a comment
I sometimes miss these articles. It’s not so much that ESPN buries them, they just don’t pop out at you. This is an article that you have to read. An excellent little compilation by ESPN.com’s Gene Wojciechowski. If you’ll take notice to how few “Now…” quotes there are. A lot more people have a lot of apologizing to do. I mean you, Jesse Jackson (there are others).
Damn right the NBA is better than NCAA basketball! April 12, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Basketball, Blogroll, March Madness, NBA, NCAA, Sports, Uncategorized.add a comment
This story was hyped on Ballhype and it makes some great points. I’m a fan of both the NBA and March Madness, but we all need to remember that the NBA is composed of the best of the best. That makes it great basketball, regardless of what you might think. A good read, no matter your point of view.
The NFL schedule is out, continued… April 11, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Blogroll, Football, NFL, NFL Schedule, Sports, Uncategorized.add a comment
Raiders fans are complaining that they don’t have any prime time games this year. Don’t fret Raiders fans, with flex scheduling, if you have a good enough team and one of your matchups is deemed exciting, you could have a prime time game! Ah crap, I forgot! You’re the Oakland Raiders! There is a 1:1 (100% for the non-math majors) chance that you’ll suck! If you haven’t read about the first eight weeks, click here.
Week 9
New England at Indianapolis: Peyton Manning only has one ring, but his SNL appearance was WAY better than Tom Brady’s! Who wants rings anyway? Rings are for girls, right Peyton?
Dallas at Philadelphia: This is always a good game, but at this point in the season Donovan McNabb will be out for the season with an injury and Tony Romo will have been benched in favor of a stale muffin.
Week 10
Detroit at Arizona: Arizona will lose. It will be about this time when they discover that the new Cardinals stadium was built on top of an old indian burial ground. Is it seven more years of bad luck? More like 77 for the Cardinals!
San Francisco at Seattle: That’s right, I’m a Seahawks fan. By now it will be evident that they are THE team in the NFL!
Week 11
Chicago at Seattle: Seeing this matchup on the schedule makes me happier than when I heard Phil Collins and Genesis were doing a reuion tour! Oh wait, that wasn’t happiness, I was vomiting.
Tennessee at Denver: This is a Monday Night Football game? This is going to be a worse beating than the one Naomi Campbell gives her assistants.
Week 12
Green Bay at Detroit: Football and Thanksgiving, best combination ever. Better than milk and cookies, Jordan and Pippen, Turner and Hooch…? Yes.
Indianapolis at Atlanta: Peyton Manning versus Ronald Mexico. One word. Epic.
Houston at Cleveland: One of those games where the two teams are so bad that the game might actually be good. I pick Cleveland because Drew Carey said so.
Miami at Pittsburgh: Oh snap! Joey “I got shot in the ass” Porter faces off against his old team!
Week 13
New England at Baltimore: Think for a moment what it would have been like if Bill Belichick and Ray-Ray would have been on the same team during Ray’s glory years.
Week 14
Miami at Buffalo: In a parallel universe, these two teams will be battling for control of the AFC East. In the real world, however, they will already be out of playoff contention.
Indianapolis at Baltimore: Does the NFL hate Baltimore? I mean I know most of America does, but I thought the NFL was above that. Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti kicked Roger Goodell’s ass back in high school. True story.
New Orleans at Atlanta: If D.J. Shockley is lucky, he’ll get about as much crap-hype as Matt Shaub and will cash in when free agency starts.
Week 15
Seattle at Carolina: The majority of ESPN analysts will pick the Panthers to; a) represent the NFC in the Super Bowl b) end global warming c) cut a Grammy-winning album and d) single-handedly end the Iraq conflict. Then Seattle will do what it usually does and prove them all wrong.
Indianapolis at Oakland: Can you say ass kicking? Then again, that won’t even do this matchup justice.
Detroit at San Diego: The NFL is just pulling our leg now. This can’t be the real Week 15 schedule.
Week 16
Atlanta at Arizona: They say dry heat cures the nastiest of herpes outbreaks (Ronald Mexico jokes never get old).
Denver at San Diego: Just an old-fashioned, smashmouth game. Guarenteed to be good or your money back.
Week 17
New Orleans at Chicago: Hopefully these two teams are still good.
Detroit at Green Bay: Looks like Brett Favre’s last game ever will be a win! Retire damnit!
Cincinnati at Miami: Levi Jones is marking his calendar as you read this. Watch out Joey.
Well that’s all folks! The great thing about the NFL is that there is rarely a bad game. Even two 0-15 teams facing off in Week 17 can be exciting. So while this is just a simple guide to get you lined up, make sure you have plenty of beer so you can enjoy ALL the games!
NFL schedule released, apparently Detriot is still a NFL team April 11, 2007
Posted by thesportsmaster8000 in Blogroll, Football, NFL, NFL Schedule, Sports, Uncategorized.4 comments
Despite having the roster talent of a second-tier Arena Football League team, Detroit is tentatively penciled in on this years NFL schedule. I keep waiting for the owners meeting where they decide it’s time for Bill Ford and company to pack up their shit and move to the AFL. Maybe next year. That being said, the official schedule is out, and I am stoked (it’s the little things that keep me going during the NFL’s offseason).
Some matchups you might want to mark on the calender…
Week 1
New Orleans at Indianapolis: The official start of the season!
Detroit at Oakland: The loser of this game will be on the clock!
New England at N.Y. Jets: Eric Mangini really hates Bill Belichick.
Miami at Washington: Will Ricky Williams bring it? Oh he’ll bring it alright, if by “it” you mean a bong and a dime bag.
Week 2
San Diego at New England: No more Martyball? I shed a tear.
Seattle at Arizona: Go ahead “experts”, pick Arizona to make it to the playoffs. I dare you!
Week 3
Indianapolis at Houston: Hey Matt Shaub, with all the damn hype you get, apparently you’re as good as Peyton Manning. I guess we’ll find out, but I think we all know the truth, YOU ARE!!! *kidding*
Week 4
Seattle at San Francisco: An early trendy pick, the 49ers face real competition for the first time.
Denver at Indianapolis: Always a good matchup because Denver usually loses.
Week 5
N.Y. Jets at N.Y. Giants: Subway series! They should have the stadium on the line (since the Jets can’t get their own). Loser has to play at some high school.
Week 6
New Orleans at Seattle: We all know New Orleanians hate water and it sure does rain a lot in Seattle. Go ‘Hawks!
Week 7
Tennessee at Houston: It will be sad when the city of Houston comes the realization that Matt Shaub sucks. It will be even sadder when they actually boo Shaub and cheer for Vince Young.
Week 8
N.Y. Giants at Miami: Grab some tea bitches! This game’s in London! Finally we show those limey Brits what real football is!
Green Bay at Denver: Brett Favre’s last Monday night game? If we’re lucky, he will have already retired mid-season (oh yes, I DID go there).
Stay tuned….The rest when I return. I need to get to class!
