The 2008-2009 NBA season is upon us and boy did it open up with a bang.  In my time as an NBA fan, I've seen some pretty good opening night, championship ring ceremonies, but none that I can recall were so emotionally charged as last night's in Boston.  The Celtics were presented with their rings and raised their 17th World Championship banner to the rafters.  Paul Pierce was emotional and shed his share of tears.  Who can blame him?  After being the number one option there for so many years, he's been through a lot as a Celtic.  All the losing years, all the missteps by management and finally his moment arrived.  I think I'd be crying too. 

Pierce turned the emotions into a 27 point performance in a come from behind win against last year's East Conference foes, the Cleveland Cavs.  Lebron had a good night as is to be expected, but the thing that stood out to me most about this game, aside the fact that the Cavs gave up the lead on the road, was the lackluster play of Mo Williams.  Sure, I know it's just the first game.  I know it will take some time for he and Lebron to learn each other and learn the system, but he was no where to be found in last night's game.  Williams, the new acquisition from the Bucks is supposed to relieve the pressure from Lebron allowing him to score more rather than focusing on carrying the offensive load AND finding open guys on the floor.  That didn't happen in last night's game.  Williams finished with just 2 assists to King James' 6.  Again, it is the first game, so let's give it some time, but fans are going to wonder if the Cavs are ready to take that next step.

On another note, the late game featured the Portland Trailblazers going against Kobe and the Lakers.  This was Greg Oden's regular season debut.  After sitting out the entire season last year after undergoing microfracture surgery, Oden took the court for the Blazers for the first time.  He lasted only 13 minutes before going out with a foot injury.  So far the x-rays weren't conclusive and Oden is listed as day-to-day.  Hopefully this won't be a sign for the struggling Blazers and Oden.  In his 13 minutes the 7 footer managed to snag only 5 boards and failed to make a field goal.  He also tallied 2 fouls. 

Bottom line: the Celtics looked as good as ever.  Despite struggles by Ray Allen and KG, the Celtics got a big boost from Tony Allen and Pierce was able to take them on his back like he's done so many times before.  The Lakers looked as formidable as ever blowing out the young Trailblazers by 20 points.  The Greg Oden show has been put on hold for now. 

I'm as excited this year about the NBA as I've ever been.  Stern has managed to turn this league around and make it interesting again.  A little help from the Big Three and Kobe didn't hurt things either, though.

Last week I made a post in which I labeled the Tennessee Titans a "pretender" rather than a "contender."  I'm always man enough to admit when I'm wrong.  The Titans proved they are much more than a pretender in front of a national TV audience in their 31-21 win over Peyton Manning and the Colts.  The problem I've had with this team thus far has been their starter at QB, Kerry Collins.  Sure, Collins is a veteran in this league.  He's had his ups and downs, mostly downs, throughout his career.  Now, he can lay claim as the starting quarterback on the NFL's only undefeated squad.  In this blogger's eyes, he's paid his dues.  I'm sold.  So, where does that leave Vince Young? 

After being taken 3rd in the draft and being hailed as the next great quarterback, Young has managed to put up only mediocre numbers over the past few seasons and after throwing 2 picks in the team's week one game, Fisher and co. relegated him to the bench going instead with Kerry Collins.  A bold move to be sure, but now Fisher and the coaching staff can have the last laugh because the Titans are 7-0 and have done it without the hailed messiah that was Vince Young.  I have to admit, I wanted Young to succeed.  I bought into the hype just as many did when he entered the league.  He's had flashes of genius in his career but they have been merely flashes here and there.  He has not been the consistent leader and playmaker everyone thought he could be. 

You have to think that the team's success without him is weighing on his mind.  Here he was one of the most hyped quarterbacks coming out of college after winning his team a National Championship.  Many thought he'd have more success than Leinart and arguably so far in his career, he has.  Now, he's on the bench and must be thinking about the direction his career is heading.  I still believe in him.  I think with the right team and with the right system, he can still be a difference maker in this league.  The problem is, Vince Young has to start believing in himself.

I'm glad to see the Titans making a move this season.  One has to wonder what is in their young backup quarterback's future at this point.   

The San Francisco 49er's have seen better days.  They haven't been relevant for years now.  Since the firing of their latest coach, Mike Singletary has taken the reigns and he's not taking any crap from his players.  During the game Sunday with the Seahawks, 49er's tight end Vernon Davis slapped a Seahawks player sending Singletary into a frenzy.  He yanked Davis and sent him to the locker room.  Singletary sent a message not only to the 49er's locker room but also across the league.  Too long have athletes at the pro level been allowed to be undisciplined thugs.  The values they learned in high school and college are flushed down the toilet when they enter the ranks of the professionals.  Not any longer, at least not if you wear the 49er's jersey this season.  One has to wonder if the majority of coaches in the NFL approached the job in the manner like Singletary if we'd have the problems with the T.O.'s and the Pacman Jones' that we currently have.  My hat goes off to you, Coach Singletary.  We, the fans, would like to commend you for taking a stand.    


Singletary sounds off

The 2008 college football season is winding down and yet it's still not clear who will play in the BCS National Championship game.  There are still at least six teams that are still alive at this point including Texas, Alabama, Penn State, Georgia, Florida, and USC.  I'm going to break down each team's remaining games and determine who has the most likely chance of getting into the big game.

Texas

Remaining Schedule:
11/01- @ Texas Tech
11/08- Baylor
11/15- Kansas
11/27- Texas A&M
Big 12 Championship- (likely) Missouri

The Longhorns are in control of their own destiny, which is a good feeling if you're in their shoes right now.  They have only two real stumbling blocks: next week's game against the Red Raiders and the Big 12 Championship in which they will likely play Missouri again.  I like the Longhorns to cruise through the remainder of their regular season schedule.  Texas Tech will put up a lot of points, but the horns will put up more.  The Big 12 Championship is their biggest hurdle.  They've already beaten Mizzou once and you have to believe that Chase Daniels and co. won't want to give up another one to the horns.  Bottom line: if Texas wins out, they're in.

Alabama

Remaining Schedule:
11/01- Arkansas State
11/08- @LSU
11/15- Miss. State
11/29- Auburn
SEC Championship- either Georgia or Florida

The Crimson Tide find themselves in a very similar situation as the horns, which is they are also in control of their own destiny.  If they win out, they're in and that's all there is to it.  If Penn State was going to jump Bama it would have been this week after they beat Ohio State.  It didn't happen, so here we are with five games left and Bama in the driver's seat.  The game to watch will be the matchup in Death Valley against LSU.  Bama is probably the superior team and will likely win this game.  The Iron Bowl is always a tough game regardless of either team's ranking.  Tuberville knows that the likelihood of his tenure continuing in Auburn relies heavily on beating Alabama.  If he does this, he's good for at least one more year.  That kind of pressure combined with the rivalry aspect makes this one of Bama's biggest hurdles.  If they survive, they get the misfortune of playing the dreaded "extra game" in the SEC Championship.  They'll likely play Florida which means in order to get in, they would have faced every tough team the SEC could throw at them.  Florida is rolling now and Tebow is playing at a high level.  All Bama has to do is keep winning.  No pressure right?

Penn State

Remaining Schedule:
11/08- @Iowa
11/15- Indiana
11/22- Michigan State

Of the top three teams, Penn State has the easiest road to the BCS National Championship Game.  They've played their toughest opponent in Ohio State.  The reality, however, is more grim for the Nitanny Lions.  If they win out and Bama and Texas win out as well, they will be watching the National Championship rather than playing in it.  One of the top two has to lose.  Luckily for Penn State, the probability of that is very high at this point.

Georgia

Remaining Schedule:
11/01- Florida
11/08- @Kentucky
11/15- @Auburn
11/29- Georgia Tech
SEC Championship- (likely) Alabama

Georgia's road to a BCS National Championship berth will not be an easy one.  They can make a strong claim for it, if they beat Florida next week, though.  Of course, even if they do, they'll likely have to face Bama in the SEC Championship.  One has to think that matchup favors the Bulldogs.  One can't imagine a team as good as Georgia would lose to the same team twice in a season.  Although they are good, I look for their road to end next week when they play the Gators in what may be the best matchup of the year in college football.  

Florida

Remaining Schedule:
11/01- @Georgia
11/08- @Vandy
11/15- South Carolina
11/22- Citadel
11/29- @FSU
SEC Championship- (likely) Alabama

Florida's road to the National Championship is a brutal one.  They have to get by Georgia next week to even remain in consideration.  They'll have a tough matchup against the Noles in Tallahassee.  Then, if they manage to get through, they'll have to face a hungry Alabama squad in the SEC Championship.  The good thing for them is they have the talent, coaching, and ability to get there.  Next week will tell us a lot about this Florida team.

USC

Remaining Schedule:
11/01- Washington
11/08- Cal
11/15- @Stanford
11/29- Notre Dame
12/06- @UCLA

There's nothing else the Trojans would like more than to win out and get in the National Championship.  The media darling Trojans still has a very likely shot at making it to the big game.  All they have to do is win out and with a very weak schedule, there's no reason to think they won't.  Some of the teams ahead of them will have to fall, which is another likely scenario.  Of all the teams left in contention, USC and Penn State have the easiest road.  

Predicted National Championship Game:

Penn State vs. USC

Why?  Each team has an easy road to the title game.  Texas and Bama will likely stumble at some point.  Those conference championship games don't help them any.  Both Penn State and USC have played their toughest games.  Finally, the media and the BCS both love the Trojans.  Although it's likely to anger many fans, myself included, it is the most likely BCS National Championship scenario.

Tommy Tuberville is not a good coach.  Let's just get that out in the open right now.  He may be a good recruiter, he may be a good motivator, but not a good coach.  The big dogs at Auburn saw that back in 2003 and tried to oust him in a coup that would make the Russians proud.  It also would have made Bobby Petrino the head coach and I'm not sure they'd be any better off.  Tuberville reminds me a lot of Les Miles in the fact that neither of them are really good coaches yet somehow manage to pull in loads of talent and remain relevant. 

Last year, Tubs brought in Tony Franklin from Troy University as the Tigers' new Offensive Coordinator after Al Borges resigned.  Why Franklin?  Because he had coached the now "trendy" spread offense made famous by Urban Meyer.  After realizing that it wasn't going to work because frankly Auburn doesn't have the talent at quarterback to make it work, rather than take the blame like any respectable head coach, he fires Franklin.  He didn't even let the man get one full season under his belt.  That's pretty low.  So, here we are a couple of weeks after Franklin has cleared out his office and Auburn managed to not only lose a lead after halftime, but get beaten in embarrassing fashion to a fairly mediocre West Virginia squad. 

The countdown has officially begun.  Tuberville's days are numbered.  He knows it and so do Tiger fans even though they won't admit it.  See when Alabama had a bad coach (Mike Shula) their fans railed against him and his ridiculous play calling and clock management.  At least Auburn fans are loyal to a fault, I suppose.  They'll stick by ol' Tommy-T as long as he can win that Iron Bowl.  Too bad for them, Saban entered into town on top of all this turmoil.  Get out your clocks, the Tuberville doomsday countdown is officially upon us.

UPDATE: It was brought to my attention in the comments that some don't think I have "my facts straight" due to the fact the old AD that tried to fire Tuberville in '03 is gone.  This is a fact I already knew.  By "big dogs" I meant more than just the AD.  I meant the rabid boosters in that program with deep pockets who want him gone.  Those people are still, and will always be, around.  Just take a look at today's column from Alabama's columnist Kevin Scarbinsky to see what I mean.