The Sports Champ

Kobe Drops 61 At The Garden

2009-02-04T21:12:00.000-08:00

Lebron James is a lock for the 2008-2009 MVP award. Wait a minute. Before you make that statement, lets not forget about the reigning MVP, Kobe Bryant. He is still very capable of doing whatever he wants on the court and is still the best player in the world. Just as the world began to take Kobe for granted, he showed us why he is definitely not going to give up his MVP award so easily. On a night where the Lakers were feeling down about the recent lose of young Andrew Bynum, Bryant brought their spirits up with the best performance that Madison Square Garden has seen.
It seems to me that the relationship between Kobe Bryant and Lebron James is somewhat similar to that of Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal, the only difference being, Kobe is still winning this battle. So before we second guess the talent of Kobe and sometimes even underestamate his greatness as one ESPN commentater put it, lets just know that whenever he wants to, he can turn it up to a level that no one on earth, even James, is capable of duplicating.

Phillies: World Series Champs

2008-10-30T16:33:00.000-07:00

The Philadelphia Phillies are the World Series Champions for the first time in 25 years! They showed their skills all throughout the playoffs and trampled the Tampa Bay Rays 4-1 in the final series. They simply overpowered the Rays and dominated the entire playoffs.
Living in Philly, I know how crazy it went on Wednesday night; cars honking, people screaming, monuments being thrown around. It was complete bliss for every Philadelphian. The key to this series was the lockdown pitching. From old timers to established stars, the Phillies threw their way to a championship ring. Now the thing we'll have to wait to see is if the Phillies have enough strength to come back next year and be as explosive as they were this year.

2008 World Series

2008-10-22T20:11:00.000-07:00

An unlikely World Series, to say the least, this years MLB championship is shaping up to be a great series. Two underdogs are now both on top of the league looking down at the so called "power houses." I don't think anyone, other than the Phillies and Rays die hard fans, would have predicted this series at the beginning of the season, but here it is. A series that can be defined by its up and comers, it is fair to say that those up and comers are now here and have arrived at the biggest stage of their lives. Only time will tell who will come out on top, but no matter who wins, this series has definetly shook up the power players of the MLB and with it will be born the new top stars of the league.

Lance Armstrong

2008-10-04T12:16:00.000-07:00

Comeback is now starting to apply to Lance Armstrong; the word greatness has always been there. What is something that always comes with greatness? Skepticism. Armstrong is one of the greatest athletes to ever live, and what he did by winning 7 Tour de France's is a feat of physical and mental strength and perserverance that few human beings have ever come close to. However, now that he is on the comeback trail, questions begin to arise. Was he doping during those 7 championships? The answer, 7 times in a row, was and is no. Armstrong was tested in every which way possible and the results were always the same, he was drug free.
The all too familiar sports great comeback is under way and people are, like always, trying to bring forth doubt that the athlete was ever great. The people who say that Lance Armstrong has embarrassed the sport because they think that he might have been doping while cycling are ridiculous and full of jealousy.
The fact is that Lance Armstrong doesn't need any drugs because he has his own internal "drugs." His heart is one and a half times bigger than the average human heart, which means that he can pump far more blood, much faster than many other cyclists. Combine that with his cardiovascular strength and experience and you've got the greatest cyclist in history. There will always be "haters," but there will not always be Lance Armstrong, so lets enjoy his rare talent while we still can and stop insulting him based on unproven theories.

Lakers: 2009 NBA Champs?

2008-10-03T14:31:00.000-07:00

Last season the Lakers were beaten by a better team, plain and simple. The inside presence of Perkins and Garnett was too much for the Lakers' defense to handle. With that said, would the Celtics have been able to beat the Lakers with a healthy Bynum? That's a tough question, but now let me ask another; can the Celtics beat the Lakers this coming season with a bigger, stronger Bynum?
Although the Bynum injury hurt the Lakers in a big way, it might end up being beneficial to them in the long run. Injuries are good for only a few things: rest, recuperation and rebuilding. Bynum took advantage of all of these things by hitting the weight room hard to give the Lakers a much needed presence down low. Having said that, the question is can all the Lakers players work together to create a winning team? Kobe Bryant and Pau Gasol have already proven that they can be deadly together. Also Kobe Bryant and Andrew Bynum have showed some glimmers of greatness together before the injury. The BIG question is how will Gasol, Bynum and Odom work together, if they can? Will Odom be too big of a presence to fit in the puzzle? Although the Lakers have to take some time to figure each other out, it's a problem that most teams would be willing to have. There is a lot of talent on the Lakers team and proven leadership in Kobe Bryant, so only time will tell if Kobe can bring together a championship team and start a dynasty of his own; without Shaq.

NFL: Sunday

2008-09-29T13:43:00.000-07:00

As the NFL season rolls along, some major events took place on last Sundays games. If anybody was questioning why Brett Favre came back this season, their question was answered on Sunday when Favre threw for a career high 6 touchdown passes. He led the Jets to a whopping 56-35 win over Arizona in what will be known as either, a great offensive game for both teams or a horrible defensive game.
The surprise of the week, and the season, is without a doubt the Buffalo Bills. They are 4-0 for the first time since 1992. Can they keep up this undefeated play and become the Patriots of this season or will they burn under the microscope and start a losing streak?
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay kicker Matt Bryant kicked the game winning field goal to edge the Bucs over Green Bay. The reason why this is a big story is because his youngest son died the day before the Sunday game. To have enough strength to dress for a game the day after such a tragic death, let alone kick the game clinching field goal, is extraordinary.

Favre's First Monday Night Game with Jets

2008-09-22T17:15:00.002-07:00

Brett Favre will make his first start with the NY Jets on a Monday night. After receving a warm welcome from San Diego's crowd, Favre will play on a familiar night with an unfamiliar team. Will we see the Jets coaching staff let go of the reigns holding Favre back? Will this be a walk down memory lane for the sure Hall of Famer. It's gonna be hard for San Diego to play against someone they look up to, but we'll see how it turns out tonight. Rivers has said that Favre is one of his idols and Thomlinson said that he'll be watching from the sidelines. Will the living legend work his magic, or will the younger of the two QB's take the spotlight?

Say Goodbye to Yankee Stadium

2008-09-21T09:35:00.000-07:00

After 85 years of history, the Yankees will host their final game in the place that Babe Ruth made. The fact that their playing the Orioles doesn't quite matter, what matters is that tonight will mark the closing chapter of the most famous stadium in the MLB to date. Whether your a Yankee fan or you can't stand them, you have to be feeling some sort of emotion tonight. This is not only a turning point for the Yankees, but a big day for the entire league aswell. After all, this is the same place that has seen the Yankees win the World Series 26 times!
With so many lasting memories for so many people in the now "old stadium," the only question is, can the "new stadium" ever come close to the excellence that we have come to expect from the Cathedral? As millions tune in tonight to bid farewell, just maybe we'll get a chance to see some fan togetherness rather than the usual rivalry.

NFL Quarterbacks: Week 3

2008-09-20T19:06:00.000-07:00

Week three of the 2008 NFL season is here! Seems like we were just in the off-season and now newcomers, like Matt Cassel and Aaron Rogers are already dazzling us with their performances. So far those two Quarterbacks have quieted all critics with their solid play and passing accuracy. Can they continue this winning play, or will the pressures and expectations be too much for them? Steve Young was league MVP twice after backing up Hall of Famer Joe Montana for the 49ers, so why can't Rogers and Cassel do the same following Favre and Brady?
Meanwhile, NFL greats, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning have led their teams to .500 starts. Only time will tell if they can put their teams on the forefront of the NFL powers. Also, Peyton's brother and defending Super Bowl champ, Eli has cruised into week three with his Giants. He led the Giants to a 2-0 start, have they been lucky so far, or are they just showing us why they are the defending champions?

Josh Howard: National Anthem

2008-09-18T19:15:00.000-07:00

The recent comments made by Josh Howard, at Allen Iverson's annual flag football celebrity game, about the national anthem, have garnered some publicity, to say the least. While the star spangled banner played in the background, Howard began to do something unusual during the singing of the anthem, he began to talk. He went on to say, to a camera phone, "star spangled banner going on right now, I don't even celebrate that (expletive). I'm black (expletive)..." Los (Baltimore rapper) the one holding the camera phone, told ESPN that Howard made the comments in a joking manner and did not mean anything by it.
Regardless of whether or not you take offense to these comments or you think it's not a big deal, one thing is clear; Howard (and the media) has dug himself into yet another hole. Having a famous face comes with a price, and probably the biggest is: whatever you say will surface (and will be mixed to the medias liking). However, Howard has yet to understand this concept of fame and comments like these can have a big influence on the way certain people view him. Especially Dallas fans, which are said to be very "patriotic" and hard on athletes who don't think before they talk politics. This shouldn't warrant Howard losing his job, but it may hinder his fan support.
The talk of trading Howard is begining to be a question in people's minds. If these comments and some of Howards other so called "off court antics" are enough to outweigh his on court success then the fans and the NBA have forgotten what the league is supposed to be about. The above remarks and others like it should never erase the talent and hard work that goes into becoming a professional athlete. At the end of the day, Josh Howard is just a person like you and I, and whether or not he made a mistake or "crossed the line" is for you to determine, but lets just let him do what he does best, play basketball.
Joe Murphy