Many people blame the refs for Seattle's loss to the Steelers in Superbowl 40, but I put the blame squarely on Jeremy Stevens' shoulders.  It looks like that the Seahawks are finally going to remove him from the team, and I say it is about time.  He single handedly dropped several passes that would have changed the game against Pittsburgh, and his off the field antics have grown very old.  During the run to the Superbowl he made several comments about winning that was totally inappropriate.  He has had many off the field problems to compound his on the field efforts.  And in my book, this is a good move by the GM in Seattle.  Now who will they get to replace Stevens?  That is the question.

SoCalSportsFan

New NBA Basketball:  It was a stupid decision to switch balls without consulting the players and I hope the league realizes this and just switches back.  It is beyond me to think that the NFL or MLB would switch balls without getting input from its players, but yet David Stern and his minions decided to do this without input.  It must be about money, but I am not sure how Spalding is making more money on this ball or its advertising.  I know we all played with all kinds of balls in pick up games, but as long as I can remember we used a leather ball in every organized league and it was always a thrill to get to use a game ball to shoot around.  Synthetic was fine for the pick up games on the play ground, but real leather was special.

BCS:  To be honest, I would like a play off system, but the BCS has done a fair job of getting the right two teams each year.  USC vs. Texas was the right match up last year and with the exception of by passing Auburn a few years back, I have had very few quarrels with the eventual champion.  Sure a case could be made that one team should have a shot at the title, but even with a play off there will always be a team on the outside looking in that might deserve a spot.  If you take four teams, it is the number five team out, and if you take eight teams, it is the ninth one that was considered that will have a beef.  How many one loss teams deserve a shot at this title game?  Boise State is undefeated and they will not even get a look at the title game or a BCS berth. 

 

NBA:  The Lakers are looking pretty good out in the west.  Is it suddenly because Kobe is sharing the ball more or is it because of Phil Jackson?  If it were up to me, I would say that both of those are contributing factors, but the biggest turn around is that Lamar Odom has become much more aggressive at looking for his shots.  Odom is finding ways to score and he is not passing up on his shots.  As long as Odom continues to be aggressive the Lakers have a shot at going deep into the play offs this year.

 

NFL: Look out for the Seahawks.  With the return of Shaun Alexander, the Seahawks have a shot at the Super Bowl again.  He was flawless last week against Green Bay and he looked to be in perfect form.  If he continues to run for 100+ yards per game, the Seahawks will come out on top in the NFC.  Hopefully everyone will not start saying the NFC is all that weak if they do win out because Dallas has played pretty well this year and so have the Bears and Saints.

 

MLB:  The Red Sox are idiots for paying 51 million just to talk to a player.  It’s that simple.  The Cubs are making the best moves in MLB to become a real contender.  Bonds will play somewhere next year and it looks more and more like it will be in Oakland every day.  Big Mac deserves to be in the HOF on his first ballot.  Being number 7 in home runs is enough in my book. 

 

Florida vs. Michigan:  Florida deserves the national title game and I believe the BCS will get it right.  Michigan did not win its own conference.  Michigan beat Wisconsin and Notre Dame while Florida beat LSU, Arkansas, TN, and Florida State in Tallahassee.  Say whatever you want, but Florida has found a way to win.  Last year no one gave Texas a shot at beating USC.  USC was the best team in the history of NCAA football, that is if you listened to all of the sports analysts, and then Texas came out and beat them.  Florida might do the same thing to OSU.  In fact, I would pick Florida to win that game.  By the way, Urban Meyer should get coach of the year. 

 

There you have it.  Just a few of my random thoughts on this Sunday morning.

 

SoCalSportsFan

I don’t like to brag, but last week I wrote some pretty impressive posts.  For some reason or another they never made it to the Most Popular Blog spot even though they had lots of comments.  In one post, I made fun of the instant replay and posted a picture from the Bud commercials with the zebra reviewing a call from an instant replay booth.  (I just saw that commercial again during the Pitt game and it was just as funny as when it originally aired.)

I also wrote an WNBA post, NFL Coaching post, and a post on paying College Athletes.  If you haven’t read these, they really are worth reading.  (Enough of the shameless self-promotion and on to the main gist of this blog.) 

In another, I made my weekly picks and it looks like I am 2-0 this week, contrary to all of the Carolina and Bronco lovers.  It wasn’t personal that I picked against the Panthers and Smith, but I did want to see them go down when everyone heralded Steve Smith as the best player in the NFL after a mediocre regular season and a very good post season.  The trouble is that the MVP of the NFL is given out for the regular season and then we have an MVP for the Super Bowl.  Smith did not outperform any of the players ahead of him on the MVP for the season.  Only Tiki Barber had a season comparable to Shaun Alexander and today Alexander proved he deserved that trophy, 135 yards with 2 TD's against Carolina's infamous defense. 

Also I posted an article guaranteeing the winners of this weekend.  In it you will find that I promised that after the games were over, the bloggers would come out in full force proclaiming the better team lost.  They would make excuses and still anoint Smith the better player, who by the way only had 35 yds receiving today.  Why, I would expect to see him rise from the grave if that hadn’t been done already.  I will say he had a nice punt return aided by a block in the back and the guy is a tremendous athlete, but not comparable to the risen savior.

Well, the bloggers have started.  If they are not writing posts, they are doing it in the comment sections of other bloggers.  Here is one quote lifted from another bloggers’ site right after Pitt destroyed Denver,

“I'll say that the better team lost today. The Steelers do not deserve to be there after what they did to Carson Palmer. Anyone who's got a brain would know that the Panther are going to destroy Pittsburg in the Super Bowl. I don't see how you think Cowher is one of the best coaches, I think he's horrible. Yes, I'll agree with the Denver offensive line being very bad, the reason for the two fumbles by Plummer and the two interceptions and the sacks, but Denver should have won, there won't be no more "Steel Curtain."

How ridiculous is that?  Like I said in my “who will win post”, just congratulate the teams that win and move on.  Pitt won, they were better, and now they have a shot at the Super Bowl.  In the words of Stuart Smalley, “The Steelers are good enough, smart enough, and doggone it, people like them”  That goes for the Seahawks too. (Props to flyboy and fat for just saying the better team won.)