Sports Blog with T.Wash: THE " CARDIAC CARDINALS " ARE AT IT AGAIN !!!!!!!!...

Sports Blog with T.Wash: THE " CARDIAC CARDINALS " ARE AT IT AGAIN !!!!!!!!...: The St.Louis Cardinals are on another miracle run through the post season. The team has a habit of putting together playoff runs that boggle...

THE " CARDIAC CARDINALS " ARE AT IT AGAIN !!!!!!!!

The St.Louis Cardinals are on another miracle run through the post season. The team has a habit of putting together playoff runs that boggle the mind. Last season the Cardinals came back from nine games back to over take the Atlanta Braves for the National League Wildcard slot. They would go on to steam roll the competition en route to a World Series title. In the off-season they lost their top player to free agency (Albert Pujos) and their Hall of Fame manager (Tony LaRussa) to retirement. Now, in the 2012 season the Cards are at it again. They won the second Wildcard slot and went on to beat ironically the Atlanta Braves in a do or die single elimination game. In the National League Division Series they beat the Washington Nationals 3-2. The Cards are on the verge of making back-to-back World Series with a win over the San Francisco Giants tonight in St.Louis. The Cardinals have dominated the Giants with a cast of blue collar players. Mike Matheny is not a veteran manager, which makes the run the Cards are on seem even more miraculous. They have a bunch of blue collar players and no national star power. David Freese,Carlos Beltran and Chris Carpenter may be there best known players on the roster. I truly believe the St.Louis Cardinals are destined to become back-to-back World Series Champions. They will close out the Giants tonight in St. Louis and take the series 4-1. The Detroit Tigers will have to travel to St.Louis for game 1 on Wednesday. To witness deja-vu with the Cards playoff success, makes me wonder how Albert Pujos is feeling as a spectator instead of focal point for his former team.

World Series: 4-2, St. Louis Cardinals  

DARE I SAY IT " ARE THE SKILLS OF PATRIOTS QB TOM BRADY DIMINISHING?"

It literally kills me to post this manuscript, but I have to be objective and unbiased. The answer is YES... Tom Brady skills as an elite Quarterback are starting to diminish. The New England Patriots are 3-3 on the season with all three loses totaling four points. I understand the Patriots record could easily be 6-0. The changes made in the off-season to improve the league's 2nd worst defense has not shown as much progress as anticipated. The secondary is still the worst in the NFL, giving up a large number explosive plays in the pass game. The Patriots are still having issues generating a decent pass rush, with the exception of rookie Chandler Jones. If the defensive line could rush the Quarterback the cornerbacks can stay with their assignment and not allow receivers to break routes. The defense is getting a large amount of blame because they should be able to make crucial stops at the end of games. I on the other hand, refuse to exclude the offense of any blame. In my opinion, I place most of the blame on Tom Brady. Brady has not looked the same since he came back from his season ending knee injury in 2008. He looks uncomfortable when he stands in the pocket. I have noticed the way he's constantly moving around and ducking when pressure isn't there. The throws he make aren't as crisp as they use to be. He has definitely lost some of his accuracy. The most disappointing flaw I have noticed in Brady's game is his lack of a "killer instinct". The last game I saw Tom Brady actually drive the team down and win was last season's week six game against the Dallas Cowboys. Brady drove the team down on an 88 yard drive and capped if off with a 6 yard TD to Aaron Hernandez. That was the way Tom Brady use to be. I have no idea what happened to the guy teams feared giving the ball to at the end of games. The Patriots had opportunities to close every game they lost this season but failed to do so. It all boils down to Tom Brady and the offense not having the mental makeup to have an "killer instinct". The old Tom Brady cherished those moments of closing teams out and driving his team down the field for the win. I'm just not seeing that guy anymore and I truly don't know if the NFL will see that elite caliber play from him consistently again.

This is Brady being heckled by Seahawks DB Richard Sherman after a game of trash talking with each other. The old Brady would have backed it up with a win. The old Brady wouldn't have this pitiful look on his face.

THE ARROGANCE OF MR. KOBE BEAN BRYANT

I know there are countless fans of Kobe Bryant throughout the world. In my opinion, Kobe Bryant will go down as the second best two guard in NBA history.The major flaw that I never understood about Bryant is his extreme level of arrogance towards people who aren't as good as him. I read an article that talked about Bryant blasting his former teammate named William "Smush" Parker. He told reporters that Parker didn't deserve to be in the NBA. He basically described Parker as a complete scrub by saying " He shouldn't have been in the NBA, but we were too cheap to pay for a point guard. We let him walk on." What kind of statement is that? The level of arrogance he displays is sickening. I will vouch for Smush Parker because he wasn't as bad as Bryant is leading people to believe. In the 2005-06 season Parker averaged 11.5 points and 3.7 assist per game as the starting point guard. In my opinion, these were good numbers compared to any other point guard that's started along side Bryant. Parker followed up the next season with averages of 11.1 points and 2.8 assist per game. Again, these are not All-Star caliber stats, but they aren't as pathetic as Kobe Bryant's dissection of Parker's game. I bet Kobe would be very offended if everyone called him out on his performance in the 05 playoffs when he literally quit on his team in the Phoenix series. He acted like a spoiled brat because he felt he didn't have the guys around him to win. I say he punked out by taking that route to get what he wanted. After the series was over, Jerry West orchestrated a joke of a deal to get Pau Gasol in a Laker uniform. After the move, the Lakers went back to their winning ways. The point of this article is to shine some light on the man who wants to be the duplicate of Micheal Jordan. In Bryant's earlier years as a pro, it would be evident who he emulated his game after. The man wanted to be Jordan so bad that he had Jordan's mannerisms down pact. Every dunk he made, his tongue was wagging, every big shot his fist was held up. I will never forget the worst of all, was the time ESPN did a side by side of Jordan and Bryant walking. Yes indeed, the dude even walked like Mike, now how pathetic is that. Kobe wants to be Mike so bad that I believe he will do whatever it takes to win that 6th championship. Even if he gets it, he will never be as great as Jordan because when its all said and done Jordan 6-0 in the NBA Finals with 6 MVPS. Sorry KOBE

Look at the similarities.

 

THE NBA SEASON IS UPON US.....

The NBA pre-season has begun with exhibition games being played in foreign countries. The 2012-2013 season promises to be an exciting one. There are many questions that have to be answered. Will the Heat repeat as NBA champions? Did the Oklahoma City Thunder gain any experience from losing in the Finals to the Heat? Will the edition of Dwight Howard make The L.A. Lakers a favorite to win the West? All of these questions will be answered in the upcoming season. The Eastern Conference will be more competitive than it has in years. There will be four teams with a legitimate shot of making the NBA Finals. The Miami Heat will go into the season as the favorite. The Boston Celtics, Brooklyn Nets, and Indiana Pacers will challenge the Heat for the top spot in the East. The Brooklyn Nets have made significant changes that could guide them past the Heat. The resigning of Daron Williams, Brook Lopez, and Kris Humphries kept the core players together. They solidified the squad by trading for Joe Johnson and Gerald Wallace. The Boston Celtics added Jason Terry and got a little younger via the NBA draft. The Indiana Pacers pushed the Heat to the limit in last year's NBA playoffs, so they will come back a year older and wiser. The Heat's Championship team is still intact with one key addition named Ray Allen who is still a major threat on the perimeter.

The Western Conference will also have a four team race with Oklahoma City leading the way. The Thunder will be stronger with the return of Eric Maynor as the team's steady backup point guard. The L.A. Lakers have made significant additions by adding Dwight Howard and Steve Nash to give Kobe Bryant the true point guard he's never had. The San Antonio Spurs will continue to pile up wins and be in the mix while the L.A. Clippers are an up and coming team that will make some noise. In my opinion, the surprise team in the NBA this season will be the Minnesota Timberwolves with the return of Ricky Rubio from knee surgery. The Philadelphia 76ers will be a much improved squad with the acquisition of Andrew Bynum. If Bynum can stay healthy, the young Sixers can make some serious noise in the Eastern Conference. I fully expect the NBA season to provide fans with plenty of last second shots and overtime thrillers.

My NBA Final's Prediction: Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Miami Heat II - Thunder wins 4-2

BRADY VS. MANNING: A RIVALRY RENEWED

This Sunday NFL fans will witness the renewal of the best Quarterback rivalry in the modern era. These two combatants have often been called 1 and 1-A when people compare the two. Over the years Peyton Manning and Tom Brady have played classic games in their head to head battles. In the beginning, Tom Brady and the Patriots won majority of the contest. In the last five years Peyton Manning and his former team ( Indianapolis Colts ) have had the upper hand compiling  a 5-2 record. On Sunday afternoon Manning will step into Foxborough Massachusetts as a Denver Bronco. The rivalry between the two Quarterbacks was so great, it lead to the NFL scheduling the two Quarterbacks to face each other for ten straight seasons. The Colts faced the Patriots last season but Manning did not play due to injury. During the 2000's the Colts-Patriots game obtained the highest television rating each time. Everyone wanted to be a part of the debate: Who's the best Quarterback? Both Quarterbacks played their role of convincing the nation who that QB would be. During those years Manning would be known as " The best regular season Quarterback who only won 1 Superbowl" while Brady won 3 with a much better defense. Whenever these two QB's play, fully expect the game to be a nail-bitter. All the Brady-Manning matchups tend to end very close regardless of the winner. I fully expect another classic game between the two all-time greats. NFL fans, prepare to witness the renewal of a classic QB rivalry where both have a mutual respect for one another. Who knows it might just come down to a game winning field goal.

FLOYD MAYWEATHER JR. IS DUCKING MANNY PACQUIAO

The time has come for everyone to start calling Floyd Mayweather Jr. out. The public has been waiting three long years for this fight to happen. Mayweather has always said he would fight Pacquiao on his own terms. Well Floyd, you have been officially called out by Pacquiao on a national platform. Manny Pacquiao was on ESPN First Take promoting his December bout with Juan Manuel Marquez. He was asked if he was OK with taking all the performance enhancing test and a smaller purse in order to fight Floyd. These were the terms required by Mayweather in order to make the fight happen with Pacquiao. Since Pacquiao has made it known that he would do whatever it took to get the bout against Mayweather there has been one statement from Floyd's camp. That statement came from his manager Leonard Ellerby. Ellerby basically said what was said before " Floyd dictates his own terms with his fights". In my opinion, this is a sign of stalling or ducking. Floyd believes there's a chance he could lose this fight so he will continue to keep the public waiting. Floyd is trying to maintain his Sugar Ray Robinson status as one of the best all-around boxers without a blemish on his record. Ray Robinson finished his professional career with a 128-1-2 record. Floyd is currently 43-0 and I know he wants to keep it that way. I believe Floyd knows how dangerous Pacquiao can be inside the ring. He has never fought an opponent that has a combination of speed, power, and tenacity. Manny Pacquiao exhibits all the traits that make Floyd's decision to step in the ring a giant risk to his perfect record. I agree with all the analyst that believe Mayweather is the best defensive fighter pound for pound. The problem is: Manny will land punches because he would not be afraid to take the fight to Mayweather. I believe we would see Mayweather really get hit for the first time in his career. The questions then, would go this way. " How good of a chin does Mayweather have? Can he endure the punishment from Pacquiao?"