Exciting MLB Playoffs and A Look at the Old School NBA

Wow, this year’s playoffs have been a non-stop roller coaster ride of emotions complete with Cinderella stories and thrilling games that have come down to the wire.  I realize that my predictions have been completely incorrect due to the fact that neither of the teams I predicted to be in the World Series made it out of the first round.  Nonetheless, the playoffs have still proved to be entertaining with the Cardinals coming out of nowhere to take the National League by storm and the Rangers proving that they are a force to be reckoned with in the American League.  The series so far has been close, in Game 6 the Cardinals snatched victory from the jaws of defeat after being down to their last strike 2 times during the late innings.  David Freese came up with a 2 run triple in the bottom of the 9th to tie up the game and continue the Cardinals season.  Lance Berkman also came up with a game tying 1 run single in the bottom of the 10th to keep the Cardinal fans' dreams alive.  After escaping elimination twice David Freese provided the finishing blow with a solo walk-off home run in the bottom of the 11th inning.  With Game 7 on Friday at 5:00 pm the series is up for grabs and if Game 7 is half as entertaining as Game 6 I am excited to see the tension build until one team can overcome the adversity and win the ultimate title in baseball, the World Series Trophy.  I am predicting (against my better judgment) that the Cardinals narrow escape in Game 6 is foreshadowing as to what will happen in Game 7 and their resiliency to defeat will allow them to triumph over the Rangers.

With the NBA still M.I.A (Missing In Action) I have turned to the NBA channel's reruns of classic games, dating back to the 1970's up to the 1990's, to quench my basketball thirst.  In watching these games I have realized the following 5 reasons why the old NBA is better than the current NBA:

1. Players were loyal to their teams rather than jumping around from team to team seeking the biggest contract.  The latest example being Lebron leaving his hometown to join his competition of D-Wade and Chris Bosh when Micheal Jordan, in a similar situation decided to build a team around him to combat his competition.
2. The rivalries weren't taken personally.  Back in the day the Larry Bird vs. Magic Johnson rivalry reigned supreme as the best rivalry in basketball.  These two players had nothing personal against each other; they just enjoyed beating each other.  These days most NBA stars preference is to call each other out on twitter rather than settling it on the court.
3. The lack of court side advertisements and the fact that weight lifting was not encouraged back in the day gave the game a more homely feel.  The best players were the players with the best skill set rather than the most explosive or powerful player.  Most athletes back in the day looked like regular people you would meet on the street and weren't recognizable unlike the celebrities that the NBA players of the modern era have been built up to be.
4. Referees called the game without the offensive bias that exists today.  In the classic NBA the defender was entitled to his space and the offensive player wasn't allowed to go through the defender on his drive to the basket.  Being defensive minded myself, I hate seeing good defense be ruined by the fact that the offensive player is allowed to go through the defender to get to the rim.
5. The all-star games were competitive basketball games throughout the whole game instead of the modern pattern of a skill showcase for the last three quarters and a competitive last quarter.  Players back in the day played good defense and hustled every play of the all-star games of the era which ultimately made the all-star games better quality games.  Nowadays the all-star games are more of a marketing opportunity than an opportunity to watch a quality basketball game.

So whether the NBA decides that their fans are more important than their personal wealth or not I will be plenty happy watching the classic NBA games being replayed on the NBA channel.

What's Going on in the NBA... and NFL Mid-Season Thoughts

As the days creep on into mid-October the NBA's future is still yet to be determined.  Coverage of the negotiations has been sparse, but it doesn't seem as if either side will budge on their views.  I remember back when the NFL lockout had just been resolved, I heard that the NBA lockout was a more serious matter. I thought at the time it was just an advertising strategy just as with the NFL lockout,but now that the lockout is months old that claim seems to have been a viable one.  The players and owners are just hurting themselves by continuing this lockout as we are seeing support for the NBA diminish due to anger over the two rich parties arguing about how much money each side will get.  Looking back the lockout has been brewing for a couple of years now because the NBA has been slowly pampering its players with bigger contracts and more freedom.  Who would have guessed that when this went to far for the owners to handle that the players would be reluctant to give up that power?  With rumors that an NBA season is in jeopardy of being cancelled I have chosen to ignore this rich soap opera and focus on the NFL season already in progress.

The NFL season so far has had its surprises, tragedies, and upsets.  The San Francisco 49ers have a record of 4-1 and the Oakland Raiders are sitting at 3-2.  Being both a 49er fan and a Stanford fan I came into the season ecstatic at the decision to hire Jim Harbaugh and he has proved his worth in the first 5 games.  I'm especially excited to see what he has done with QB Alex Smith and the revamped offensive attack.  He has simplified Alex Smiths role so that he can utilize his talents and take much of the pressure off of him that has built up over the years.  Although some of the wins haven't been pretty so far they have gotten the job done with the assets they have, using their tight-ends effectively and putting an emphasis on their power run game.  A major concern I have is the season-ending injury to wide-receiver Josh Morgan.  Josh Morgan was the leading wide-receiver on the team 15 catches for 220 yards and 1 touchdown.  This blow to an already struggling passing attack doesn't bode well for their chances against the 5-0 Detroit Lions in their upcoming game.  Nevertheless the 49ers are leading a struggling division and seem to be the favorite to win their division if they continue their outstanding performance throughout the rest of the season.