Rick Monday's 35th Anniversary of his Greatest Play

Rick Monday, of the Chicago Cubs, saved the American Flag 35 years ago today, and I think it deserves recognition on SNOTAP. Every American has a right to burn the flag, but every American also has the right to stop them from doing it too. Rick Monday made a truly great play. I hope ESPN showed this clip today on one of its networks.

Closing Time: Thought It Was A Cool Video

Possible Problem with Cam Newton

I didn't care for Cam Newton at the beginning of the college football year. I thought he was over-hyped. I was dead wrong. He proved to be one of the greatest college athletes of the last decade. I thought he was a straight, running quarterback, but his passing skills proved better than I could have ever expected.

Newton could possibly be the first pick overall in this spring's NFL draft. He is definitely a work-in-process quarterback that will need a lot of work before strong success in the NFL, but I do feel that he will eventually succeed. However, this little clip from Jon Gruden's QB confidential irked me quite a bit.

I first saw this clip on Czabe.com, written by excellent radio host Steve Czaban. Newton could not remember a complicated play call off the top of his head, and then he stated that his offense was "simplistic for fast."

If I were a GM or fan for one of the top teams in the draft, I would shudder a little bit hearing that phrase. It's common knowledge that Cam Newton has relative inexperience under center and is not familiar with pro-style offenses. Now, we may be able to add "inexperience with complicated play-calling" to his list of phopas.

This is the complicated play-calling that Newton will be facing come September (hopefully). I hope that he will be able to pick it up quickly because I honestly hope he does well. Cam Newton is a one-of-a-kind athlete, and I hope he can evolve in to a one-of-a-kind quarterback.

The Great One's Bracket

East 1st Round
Indiana vs. Chicago
Chicago Sweep
Philadelphia vs. Miami
Miami Sweep
New York vs. Boston
Boston in 6
Atlanta vs. Orlando
Orlando in 5

West 1st Round
Memphis vs. San Antonio
San Antonio in 5
New Orleans vs. Los Angeles (B)
Los Angeles (B) in 5
Portland vs. Dallas
Portland in 7
Denver vs. Oklahoma City
Oklahoma City in 5

East 2nd Round
Orlando vs. Chicago
Orlando in 7
Boston vs. Miami
Miami in 6

West 2nd Round
Oklahoma City vs. San Antonio
Oklahoma City in 6
Portland vs. Los Angeles (B)
Los Angeles (B) in 5

Conference Championships
Orlando vs. Miami
Miami in 6
Oklahoma City vs. Los Angeles (B)
Los Angeles (B) in 6

NBA Finals
Miami vs. Los Angeles (B)
Miami in 7

Take this knowledge and find yourself a bookie or go to Vegas and cash in. Remember it's only gambling when you don't know what you're doing!

NBA Regular Season & Playoffs From The Only Writer Who Knows The NBA

By now, I'm sure all of our readers know that I am the only writer on this fine blog that knows anything about the NBA. Because of this fact, I will take on the task to breakdown the fantastic, albeit long, NBA regular season; and predict, to the best of my abilities, the possible outcomes from what will be the greatest NBA playoffs since "The Jordan Years."

Regular Season

My predictions at the beginning of the NBA regular season proved to be completely wrong. Both the Heat and Lakers failed to break the Chicago Bulls 72 win season record. I failed to take into account the complacency factor for the Lakers, and I believed the Heat would gel far more quickly. That being said, the regular season was extremely entertaining. Here are some of the highlights from what I witnessed:

• The rejuvenation of the Chicago Bulls and San Antonio Spurs is truly remarkable. The Spurs fizzled out at the end, but their start to the season was record-breaking. They achieved their success without significant play from Tim Duncan and Tony Parker, and their defensive prowess reminds me of their dynasty days. The Chicago Bulls' success surprised all of us. Everyone knew that the addition of Boozer and Korver would help this team, but to have the best record with the amount of early injuries they had is a testament to the season Derrick Rose had. Which leads me to.....


• Derrick Rose had himself an MVP season. He took the 8th team in the East to a 60-win season basically by himself. The Bulls star showed throughout the season he can get to the rim against every team, and his improved shooting skills trumped any defense the league put in front of him. He may not have a personality, but his talent and will is something to behold.


• For the first time in Kobe Bryant's career, I think he realizes the success of the Lakers flows through Gasol, Bynum, and Odom, not himself. He should be the runner-up MVP for the regular season. Watching Kobe spread the ball to his bigs through the triangle offense, is the epitome of offensive efficiency. The Lakers were complacent at times, but at their best, no team will be able to beat them.


• Blake Griffin's dunks thrilled and excited every person who watched the woeful Clippers. (who failed to make the playoffs......Charlie)


• This is the first time that I can remember where the NBA Trade Deadline wasn't about saving cash, but about obtaining premium talent. Carmelo Anthony to the Knicks makes New York a credible threat in the East for the next couple of years. Deron Williams to the Nets satisfies The Communists need for a star player.


• The importance of having a great point guard has surpassed the importance of having a great big man. We are in the Year of the Quarterback and the Year of the Point Guard. Derrick Rose, Deron Williams, Chris Paul, Rajon Rondo, and Russell Westbrook are coveted assets by their organizations.


• Dwight Howard had himself a great season, but he needs to get out of Orlando. If I were the coach of the Magic, I would take an entire regular season, and focus my entire offense through Dwight Howard. Right now, the Magic are 50% Howard, 50% three-pointers. If I were the coach, I would scrap a regular season to develop a complete Dwight Howard that would terrorize a league for multiple regular seasons. Keep feeding him the ball on every possession. He still hasn't reached his full potential, and I don't think he will reach that point in Orlando.


• Kevin Durant's high caliber season of 2009-2010, never transferred over to 2010-2011. Durant is an extremely good player. He is a terrific scorer who can get buckets from anywhere on the court. But, his game has an exploitable flaw that I have stated countless times. He does not look for teammates. For a player who has the ball as much as he does, his inability to spread the ball hinders the Thunder's offense. This fact will be the downfall of a promising season for the Thunder.


• And Finally............


• The Miami Heat failed to live up to my lofty expectations; however, I have never had so much fun watching an NBA team (see kicked down door). Wade and Lebron consistently carried Chris Bosh. Bosh was not ready for the start of the regular season. He wasn't ready for the intensity and hatred, and he wasn't ready for all the expectations. Wade and Lebron's friendship seems to be genuine, and their games actually compliment each other at times. Erik Spoelstra failed miserably at the beginning of the season. His offensive game plans were woeful, and he commanded no respect from his team. But, he prevailed. The success of the Heat stems from his ability to place Wade as the go-to-guy in the clutch, and use Lebron and Wade in pick-and-roll situations. The Miami Heat needed two more weeks of training camp, but I still consider their season a success.

The NBA regular season was a complete success. It captured and enthralled viewers. But, for as great as the regular season was, the playoffs will surpass expectations and astound anybody who watches.

NBA Playoffs

I have never been this excited for the NBA Playoffs to begin. Think about all the great matchups. Durant vs. Bryant. Lebron vs. Rose. Rondo vs. Wade. Howard vs. Entire East. I mean, Good Lord! Plus.......No Gus Johnson and ALL CHARLES BARKLEY BABY!!!!!

Here are some of my predictions for these immaculate NBA playoffs:

• 
  
  Derrick Rose and the Chicago Bulls had a great NBA regular season. I do not think this will translate over to a NBA Finals berth. The Bulls remind me too much of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the last 3 years (Best record, MVP, Role Players a plenty, Defensive Minded Head Coach, Probably Coach of the Year). Rose will constantly be double-teamed and triple-teamed and it will be up to the role players to carry this team. If Korver, Boozer, and Deng can make shots, the Bulls will ruin my prediction. But, those players couldn't do it in Utah, and I don't think they are ready to do it in the hostile East.'


• 
  
  The San Antonio Spurs won't make it to the Finals either. They are actually "too old." The Boston Celtics are old, but the Spurs are "too old." Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward of all-time, and I believe that this is his last relevant playoff run. It's unfortunate, but the passing of the torch needs to come sometime.


• 
  
  The Oklahoma City Thunder and the Los Angeles Lakers are the only two teams in the West who I believe have a shot at making the finals. With the addition of Kendrick Perkins to the Thunder's lineup, the Thunder can now compete physically with the Lakers. The Lakers triangle offense and big man prowess will ultimately carry this team to the Finals. Kobe Bryant and Phil Jackson want this title badly. Phil wants to go out on top, and I believe he will inspire Artest, Fisher, Brown, and Odom to step up like they did last season.


• 
  
  The Boston Celtics are the wild-card in these NBA playoffs. Before the Perkins trade, the Celtics were the easy choice for the Finals. Now, they seem like they will be lucky to get out of the first round. I believe the Celtics will pony up and make one more run, but their lack of skilled size in the middle will ultimately be their demise in the East. Sorry Bill Simmons, but your Celtics have no shot of winning an NBA title this year.


• 
  
  The New York Knicks don't play defense. You don't win championships without defense.


• 
  
  The Denver Nuggets' coach George Karl is the only challenger for Tom Thibodeau for Coach of the Year. Their success is totally out-of-left-field. They lose their two best players and then have one of the best records in the league since.


• 
  
  And Finally...........


• 
  
  The Miami Heat on the verge of being a dynasty. Lebron, Wade, and Bosh are playing well together. They have stifling defense at times. Their role players step up at times. They have experience, they have the pedigree, and I believe they will make the NBA Finals, and win their first championship together. I don't know if the Heat will struggle in the half court offense. I don't know if their role players can live up in the extreme pressure of the playoffs. I don't know if they can defend Derrick Rose. But, I do know that the will of the two superstars of Lebron and Wade will push this team harder than any team in recent memory. The Chicago Bulls succeeded because they feared Michael Jordan's retribution. The Miami Heat will succeed because Lebron and Wade won't let them fail.

Prediction: Heat vs. Lakers

Heat in 6 games!

Response: Every Rose has its Thorn

Because our fearless leader Charlie Tritschler feared that I would delete his wonderful blog (3 more days to free-write friday), I cannot start a debate on his post. So, I may as well start one right here.

Let me start out by stating that Derrick Rose is this year's MVP. He is the best player on the best team in the East. He ranks in the top ten in two of the major statistical categories. His Bulls beat the Heat three times this year, and they are the hottest team in the league at this moment. Rose is the MVP.

I watched Rose lead the Bulls past the Milwaukee Bucks from the comfort box seats at the Bradley Center. Rose's cross on Jennings left me speechless.

But....... A Dynasty?

Let me stop you right there. I'm sorry to Jordan and Michael Fant, but the Bulls are going nowhere near the championship this year.

They are the Cleveland Cavaliers of the 2008, 2009, and 2010 season. They are riding the wave of the regular season, following their MVP star and defensive-minded coach to a second or third round knockdown. The Chicago Bulls are faced with the same curse that the Cleveland Cavaliers faced for the last 5 seasons. They do not have the #2 scorer/defender that a team in the East needs to win a championship. Carlos Boozer is an excellent player; however, as shown with the Utah Jazz, he and a stellar point guard won't bring the Finals back to Chicago.

Luol Deng is Parker, Noah bests Hickson (but barely), Korver is the combination of Pavlovic, Gibson, and Szczerbiak. Lebron's talents were only good enough to bring the Cavs to a sweep at the hands of the San Antonio Spurs. I do not foresee Rose bringing the Bulls past the Celtics, Magic, or Heat; let alone the Lakers, Spurs, Thunder, or Mavericks.

Derrick Rose is a truly amazing, one-of-a-kind athlete. However, I just see too many similarities between these Chicago Bulls and my beloved Cleveland Cavaliers of old.

There are two things that I can absolutely guarantee. These NBA playoffs will be something of folklore. The matchups in the divisional, conference, and final rounds will be the best we have seen in a long time.

The other guarantee is that Derrick Rose is the MVP. But, the MVP does not mean he is the best player in the league, and it does not mean the Bulls will even get to the Finals, let alone start another dynasty.

Look at the picture above. This is what Derrick Rose will experience when he steps on to the court in the playoffs. You can't win 1 on 4, no matter if you are the MVP.

-Charlie.

The Times....They are a Changing

I used to absolutely despise the first two rounds of March Madness. I didn't like the little school upsets when I didn't feel they deserved to be there in the first place. I couldn't, and still can't, stand the constant-yelling, over-hyped Gus Johnson. The quality of basketball pales in comparison to the NBA, and the hype never matched up with the experience of watching the NCAA tournament.

That's just the way I felt. Like it or leave it, you can't change it.

This year, things have changed.

I found myself engaged more so than previous years. The "every game is on a channel" could not have worked better. They staggered the games. When one game ended, you could flip to another channel where the first 36 minutes of dryness was skipped, leaving only 4 tense, juicy minutes. Maybe this feeling manifested itself solely to spite Eric's irrational idea that one game on one channel was somehow better for watching the tournament. But, the important thing is, I found myself actually getting excited to watch the first two rounds.

I still couldn't stand Gus Johnson. Luckily, I had control over the remote, and the mute button worked perfectly. I was back in Mequon for most of the games, and Gus is viewed as a nuisance in Wisconsin's greatest city. He isn't the absurd, divine, god of the microphone that some of my roommates worship him as. The overwhelming hatred of Gus was trumped by my favorite new addition to the NCAA tournament family.

Sir Charles Barkley has made me want to watch the tournament again. Actually, Sir Charles Barkley has made me want to watch the 15 minutes before and after every game. His quotes throughout the tournament has left my friends and I laughing. Here are a couple good ones: "TruTV, please stop showing Speed 2 after the game" to "Leverage is a good show (rolls his eyes)" to my personal favorite "I hope they get this game over quick so I can get the hell out of here." The producer finally let Ernie work with Kenny and Charles, and I couldn't be happier. This is why TNT gets such good ratings. Sir Charles Barkley is AWESOME!

Charles and Kenny work magic when they are on the screen. Greg Anthony and Gumbel always look a combination of pissed/scared at what they are going to say. It is clear that Anthony does not like working with Sir Charles. Whoever thought that this experiment would be a failure is out of their minds. The producer should take a lesson from the TNT producer and throw his arms behind his head, kick his feet back, and say "do what you want fellas."

We are moving on the elite 8 with North Carolina still having a shot to get me 10 dollars from Colin. My bracket is shot to hell along with almost every other sad dope in America. But, I would have to label this tournament a success. As long as every game is on, Gus is muted, and Charles is shown every hour or so, count me in forever.

Future Visa Card Commercial

The year of Wisconsin needs to continue tonight as the Badgers take on Butler. I quite agree with Chuckles that it is the white man's wet dream game. If it doesn't continue, at least I can spread a little cheer by reminding everyone that Wisconsin at least has one championship this year.

Top 5 Best Friend Duos Revisited

Our fearless leader chose a topic that interested me greatly sitting here in America's greatest city. His top 5 best friend duos piece was imaginative; yet, I do not think he put too much thought into his selections. I have had plenty of time between MLB the Show and naked lady searching on the internet to come up with Brett's "Top 10 Greatest Duos!"

The guidelines are as follows:
1) Any combination from movies, television, real life.
2) No women combinations just to piss of Geno.



10) Will Smith & Carlton Banks (Fresh Prince of Bel-Air)
Hands down one of the best sit-coms in the 90s. It competed head-to-head with Friends and Seinfeld, and if it weren't for Will Smith's success, might have lasted a lot longer on the television airwaves. Every person from ages 18-25 knows all the lyrics to the Fresh Prince theme song and this duo was one of the main reasons for its success.

9) John Beckwith & Jeremy Gray (Wedding Crashers)
Only selection worth noting from Charlie's previous post. I am certain Eric Nohelty will like this selection. It's hard not to move them up the list; however, that's what the comments are for.

8) Danny Ocean & Rusty Ryan (Oceans 11)
I admit that I may have overplaced these two individuals; however, it is one of my top-five all-time movies. George Clooney and Brad Pitt worked perfectly together. In a movie of 11 stars, these two easily shined the brightest.

7) Jake and Elwood Blues (Blues Brothers)
Great movie from the 80's. Classic movie if you like all things music and the great John Belushi before he passed away. This brother combination is extremely underrated. The fact that Bill and Ted or Rob Dydek could possibly overtake this duo is absurd.

6) Jack the Narrator & Tyler Durden (Fight Club)
How can the combination of two people in one not be in a top ten duos list? This movie threw me hardcore for a loop the first time I saw it. If you are lucky to come across a video on youtube of the fight scenes with the invisible Tyler Durden, congradulations. Here are some of the best lines from the both, or should I say one, Tyler Durden.

5) Luke Skywalker & Han Solo (Star Wars)
My dad walked by and saw what I was writing about, so I decided to throw his two cents into the post. You can't beat probably the most loyal fan following of any cinematic piece since the dawn of time. That 70s show will help shine light on the popularity of this duo.

4) Indiana & Henry Jones (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade)
I do not care what Grandpa Doctor dan says, this trilogy is definitely in the top 3 all-time. The introduction of Sean Connery to the cast of Indiana Jones makes the third Indiana Jones hands-down the best out of the trilogy. I still haven't met a single person who believes the first or second Indiana Jones is better.

3) Jerry Seinfeld & George Costanza (Seinfeld)
In my opinion, this is the 2nd greatest sit-com of all-time behind Friends. However, the comedic genius of both Jerry Seinfeld and George Costanza will live on for generations to come. This show about nothing has the 3rd greatest duo of all-time.

2) Vincent Vega & Jules Winnfield (Pulp Fiction)
I knew that I had to put these two in my top 10 list; however, this was easily the most difficult placement selection I had to make (ironic in a way). Of course, this movie is incredibly awesome, but the scenes with these two are undeniably the greatest. "Oh man, I shot Marvin in the face."

1) Lloyd Christmas & Harry Dunne (Dumb and Dumber)
This is my favorite movie of all-time. Almost every single American man knows each and every quote by heart from these two. Lloyd and Harry are the greatest, and I will argue forever that they should always be the #1 duo of all-time.

You Roast The Ones You Love....This Should Be Short

I haven't written for the prestigious SnoTap in awhile. So, before the "excitement" of the opening NCAA games, I thought I would give you a taste on my thoughts about the world of sports as of this moment.

• When a girl backs up your point on a sports-related argument, you should just concede your point to your opponent. You've lost.
• Mario Chalmers and Mike Bibby/Carlos Arroyo are the reason why the Miami Heat lose games. Look at the teams Miami has consistently lost to this season: Bulls and Celtics. Both have two point guards that destroyed Miami's defense. The Spurs handed Miami their largest loss with a healthy Tony Parker in the lineup, and lost in a blow out when Parker was ailing from a recent injury. Miami needs to magically develop a lock down defender at the point or they will be out of the playoffs in the second round.
• Donald Trump's Roast on Comedy Central may be one of the best comedy programs of the year. The Situation bombed, I found a new comedian in Anthony Jeselnik, and a Lisa Lampanelli joke always livens up the spirit. Best joke: (looking at the deaf woman on the dais) "Are you even listening to me?"
• Pau Gasol is the ugliest human being on earth; however, he is getting some stiff competition from Sheldon Williams, Turkoglu, the Pitt center who shall remain nameless for to speak his name is to develop instant rashes across your face, and of course Joakim Noah.
• The NFL needs to settle this whole lockout situation. Peyton Manning only needs 89 more starts to break ole' dick flasher's consecutive starts record, and with a skipped season, he would need to stick around to 41 in order to break it. "The mooner" would then surpass "The flasher"
• If you haven't been able to catch "The Association", a program following the Boston Celtics' season, you are missing out completely. The Celtics must put their fans through constant twists and turns. For the life of me, I do not know how a human being could dislike Ray Allen, or adore someone like Kevin Garnett. The loss of Kendrick Perkins will ultimately destroy any chance of the Celtics winning a title, and the way the players reacted afterwards, Danny Ainge may have lost his team as a general manager.
• I was always a staunch UNC supporter, but I am picking Duke to win it all. Coach K is probably the single greatest basketball coach in the history of the game. Yup. He took a program from nothing, without violations, in the most competitive environment possible (UNC is 8 miles down the road), with extremely high academic standards, and turned it into a powerhouse. No other coach in basketball could do that. He could surpass Bobby Knight this tournament, and he deserves everything that has come his way.
• I hate the first two rounds of the tournament because I hate that small schools get treated like they are better than the pile of crap they are. The same feelings I have for BCS non-qualifiers, I have for the VCUs, San Diego States, Bucknells. These small school "everybody deserves a chance" systems doesn't follow our capitalistic, American, ideals.

That's it for me. Enjoy the tournament. I will be annoying Charlie with constant criticism.

What the Packers Should Do About James Harrison

I am convinced that the Super Bowl between the Green Bay Packers and the Pittsburgh Steelers will be decided on the arms of the two quarterbacks. Ben Roethlisberger is a proven winner in big games, and Aaron Rodgers in these playoffs, when healthy, has shown his tremendous passing prowess.

Now, I add the "when healthy" qualifier because I firmly believe Rodgers was completely out of it for the second half of the Bears NFC Championship game in which he an uncharacteristic 2 INTs. Julius Peppers hit Rodgers helmet-to-helmet and Rodgers was not the same quarterback we saw in the Philadelphia and Atlanta games.



James Harrison, linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers has been fined thousands of dollars for late and malicious hits this season. Although he protests that the commissioner is penalizing him unfairly, these types of hits are exactly the kind that could alter Rodgers' passing attack. I firmly believe that if Harrison hits Rodgers late or above the head, the lineman of the Packers should take into their hands what the commissioner does not seem to be able to do.

CHOP HIS ASS! Take a lesson from the NHL and let your lineman end his season.

Clifton should engage and hold up Harrison while both the center and the guards take out his knees. They should look down on him writhing in pain and say, "you go after our quarterback, we will take the 15 yard penalty but you aren't walking again for another 4 months." Too many quarterbacks and wide receivers have been injured by this dirty player already in this season, and he has only faced a monetary fine.

The second somebody would hit Sidney Crosby high, three defenseman would thrash the person who did it. The Green Bay Packers should do what other teams in the league have failed to do. Harrison should feel what it is like being defenseless for a change.

If Harrison decides to go after Rodgers, I will be screaming at the television to chop his ass and end his season. Even writing this piece, I feel the competitive juices flowing. It may sound terrible, but if the Green Bay Packers want to send a message to the Steelers and the rest of the league that Aaron Rodgers isn't to be "cheap shotted," sending Harrison off the field in a cart is what the Packers must do.

This is what McCarthy should say if this scenario plays out.

"He went high on Rodgers, so my lineman went low on him. James Harrison is a proven cheap shot artist that hit Aaron in the helmet. The referees refused to enforce their own rules by ejecting him, so we decided as a team to forcibly remove him from the field. 15 yards in penalties is nothing compared to the well-being of our quarterback."

If Harrison late hits or goes high on Rodgers, I pray the Packers take it into their hands and make the picture at the top of this post a reality. Harrison should lie on his back wishing he hadn't messed with #12.

Why Russell Westbrook is More Valuable than Kevin Durant

As my colleague Eric Nohelty would like to point out, I believe a NBA player's assists per game constitutes as a significant statistic in today's NBA. The list that my colleague Eric Nohelty posted earlier contains the players who average under 3 assists per game. Then, my colleague Eric Nohelty stated that he wouldn't want any of these players on his team in mock gesture of an argument we held last night.



The basic argument stemmed from my proclamation before the season that Russell Westbrook is more valuable (or important which is the same thing). Before the season, Kevin Durant was touted as a phenom the likes of Lebron James and Kobe Bryant. However, although Kevin Durant scores more points than James and Bryant the last two seasons, his assists per game pales in comparison to the two other greats. The amount of touches Durant receives should dictate that he average more assists per game. NBA analysts both on TNT and ESPN have said he needs to improve his court vision and passing. That is my argument against Kevin Durant in terms of assists per game and how he should not be considered in terms of a Lebron James or Kobe Bryant.

Now, for my argument towards Russell Westbook being more valuable than Kevin Durant. Durant averages just about 6 more points per game. He averages slightly under 2 more rebounds per game. Russell Westbrook averages 5.5 assists more than Durant per game. Westbrook also averages more steals and Durant averages more blocks. Durant shoots better from the field and from three significantly. These are the statistics. They are concrete facts.

Now, why would I choose Russell Westbrook as more valuable than Durant if Durant holds a slight edge in the statistical category? Why would ESPN have Westbrook at 7 and 4 in their MVP watch the last two weeks? Charlie look here. And why would ESPN not have Durant in the top 10 of their NBA MVP watch since the first weekend they released it?

Now obviously this is not a crackpot, glue-sniffing, idiotic argument that my colleagues Eric and Charlie think it is. Maurice Brooks, ESPN NBA analyst is quoted as, "In September, when Kevin Durant was leading team USA to gold at the FIBA World Championship, who'd have thought KD would be the second best player in OKC."

Westbrook carried the Thunder through Durant's unfortunate injury early in the season. With Durant out of the lineup the Thunder went 3-1 with a road win against Boston.

I'll leave you with this little nugget to consider. It should follow the syllogism model of reasoning. Fact #1: Kevin Durant is superior in all major offensive statistics other than assists per game and steals than Russell Westbrook. Fact #2: Kevin Durant is not being considered for MVP at this moment and Russell Westbrook is. My conclusion: assists per game may play a vital role in determining a player's importance.

The Packers Might Want to Worry About Home Field Advantage

The debate over home field advantage's merits and existence has come to the forefront in the sports media. Colin Cowherd, ESPN radio personality, suggests that home field advantage is void. The Jets, Steelers, and countless other teams have a better record away from home. He cites the use of technology to cancel crowd noise and corporate personnel attending games that leads to less excited home crowds.

While it is true that headsets and a more affluent crowd base means easier communication, I feel that home field advantage is borne not from crowd noise, but from a source directly tied to each outcome of every single sporting event.

The referees.



The good old zebras offer up the biggest home field advantage in sports today. I listened to Steve Czaban, radio personality on the Bob and Brian In The Morning program, run over the statistics of home field advantage based on a Harvard and Sports Illustrated research study.

Czaban, Harvard, and Sports Illustrated state that referees are influencing games more dramatically than any other factor in terms of home field advantage. Referees empathize with the home crowd and are more susceptible to the pleas of thousands. The referees go through a social process whereby they are more inclined to side with the home crowd. Referees are only human beings after all. Unless we computerize everything, it will always be an imperfect system.

The old reason for home field advantage was because of crowd noise. College stadiums are much louder than professional stadiums; so thus, they should have a higher home field advantage than professional sports. However, only college basketball has a higher percentage of home field advantage successes. Also, Sports Illustrated attests this phenomenon to powerhouse teams inviting smaller non-conference teams to play at their stadiums, so big schools have 5 or 6 wins at home right off the bat. Think about it, Duke is not going to play at Creighton or Dayton.

Crowd noise should affect free throw percentage right? Nope. Since they kept track of free throw percentage the visiting team has shot on average 75.3%. The home team, 75.9%. Shooting percentages for home and away also differ very slightly. In baseball, Pitch FX tracked over 2 million pitches the last three years. Pitchers in visiting stadiums threw more accurately and with consistent velocity than at home. Crowd noise, although somewhat an advantage I will admit, does not play a crucial role in terms of home field advantage. But, what could be the significant advantage.

Referees provide the coup de grace in terms of home field advantage.

Quest Tech is the instrumentation that MLB uses to track balls and strikes based on the guidelines assessed by the league. According to their data, when an umpire knows that Quest Tech will be used he calls more strikes consistently against the home team. Without Quest Tech, the exact opposite occurs. More strikes are called against the visiting team.

In terms of instant replay in football, there was a 2% reduction in home field advantage from the time instant replay was introduced. Officials were acting with the crowd as a supporter to their decisions. Evidence to support the fact that referees are influenced by crowd participation also exists. In poorly attended football, basketball, and baseball games, home field advantage almost disappears entirely. The exact opposite happens in sell out games.

Here are the home field advantage numbers for the three major sports:
Basketball: Home teams win 62.9% of the time
Football: Home teams win 57.3% of the time
Baseball: Home teams win 55.6% of the time

I thin the most interesting tidbit about that information appears when you ponder the following question: which league had the officiating scandal that caused one of its members to go to federal prison? The NBA, that's right. But, they have the highest home field advantage rate too! Hmm....

What does this mean for the Green Bay Packers? It means they will have to overcome the human psyche and social enigma. What makes matters worse, Terry McAulay will be the official in Sunday Afternoon's contest. The Packers suffered from 18 penalties the last time Terry McAulay officiated a Packers Bears game in Soldier Field.

I certainly hope that the referees do not haunt a game in which the winner goes to the Super Bowl. This makes me wonder why the NFL would assign Mr. McAulay to this particular game? Here's to a Packers victory and a well-officiated football game.....I hope.

Comedian of the Week - Ryan Stout

I am bringing back the Comedian of the Week with Ryan Stout. I caught his 30 minute special on Comedy Central and this video on youtube caught my attention. I wonder if Jason Whitlock saw this video before doing his Manning-Vick maturity article? Hmm....

My Thoughts on the Weekend that Was.....(Part Deux)

What a weekend of sports. This is it though. The last great weekend. We had football on Saturday. We had NBA and NHL games that featured terrific match-ups. We had rematches in every single one of the playoff games. Also, we had the largest amount of trash-talking this season and probably in the last four or five years. After this weekend, the slow decline to only baseball starts. It's sad but C'est la vie.



The weekend started at Mongolian Grill in Bayshore Mall watching the Ravens-Steelers game. To be honest, I got bored watching the game. My friend Colin and I were entertained with the follies video that was on NFL network directly beside the football game. The thoughts that I had watching the end of the game were as follows: (1)Pittsburgh and Baltimore have great, opportunistic defenses and (2) Joe Flacco should not be mentioned in the "great quarterbacks today argument." Three turnovers on your side of the field will absolutely kill you. The Ravens had 3. The Steelers had 1. All four turnovers ended with touchdowns. Joe Flacco has a great arm. He is poised and large in the pocket. But, he can't complete the accurate passes that are necessary in the playoffs. I like Joe Flacco a lot, but I would spend the whole off season throwing those 15-20 yard tier 2 passes that he constantly overthrows for interceptions.

The Packers-Falcons game I will skip for now.

The Seahawks-Bears game was exactly what I thought it would be. The Bears have a great defense that feeds off the cold weather and a more than not aggressive opponent. Pete Carroll is lucky he never had to play a game in the snow with USC because he didn't know how to coach this game. The Bears were physical in the run game and Cutler managed the game effectively. Greg Olsen played a great game and finally proved to be the match-up problem that he was supposed to be early in his career. The NFC Championship game will be an excellent contest of bitter rivals, and I'm really looking forward to it.

Rex Ryan deserves all the credit in the world for the win in the Jets-Patriots game. He recognized what your esteemed blogger recognized: if you stop the 0-10 yard throw from Tom Brady, the Patriots offense is ineffective. The Browns stopped the Patriots earlier in the season, and Eric Mangini stated how to beat the Patriots which, coincidentally, is exactly what I have been preaching the last 8 weeks. Brady wasn't used to looking past his first read 5 yards down field, and that is why the Jets got sacks, and Brady looked confused until 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter. This is the first time that the Patriots really missed Randy Moss. Mark Sanchez had a helluva game. He completed "Manning-like" accurate passes to Santonio Holmes and Braylon Edwards. With the strong running game and Sanchez playing at an elite level, I think the Jets may finally get to the Super Bowl again.

The Packers-Falcons game was absolutely awesome to watch. Awesome is an over-used word in our society, but that is the only way I can describe it. Aaron Rodgers had the best game of the season (I won't say of his career because last year against Arizona was the best game). The run game wasn't there early but Rodgers made the big 3rd and 3, 3rd and 4 conversions that the Patriots and Colts couldn't make in their playoff losses. The Packers defense deserves all the credit in the world as well. I told my friend Colin at the beginning of the game, if they shut down Michael Turner, the Packers will win this game by 20. Apparently I was wrong. B.J. Raji is unbelievable in the middle. Tramon Williams, and yes Charlie, Sam Shields were terrific. This defense will need to step it up again on the run defense against the Bears. Watching the game with a die hard Bears fan was a mistake; however, I've already decided that Eau Claire is probably the best destination to watch the NFC Championship game. We will break the curse of Eau Claire for Packers NFC Championship games (more to come later).

Here's a few more tidbits from the weekend that was:
1. The pass to set-up the run strategy was at full force again this week. The Bears, Jets, and Packers all used it to tremendous success.

2. Aaron Rodgers should be in the Pro-Bowl. Tramon Williams possibly as well, but Rodgers getting snubbed by Brees and Matty Ice is absurd.

3. I was shocked to learn that this was the first time Jay Cutler has had a winning season since high school. He had a great first playoff game. The only question is whether it was because of Seattle being a terrible team. I think he will play well next weekend because he wants to compete with his friend and nemesis Rodgers.

4. Bill Belichick's decision to sit Wes Wlker did not sit well with me at all. I feel like Belichick dismissed his wide receiver for a momentary, albeit hilarious slip of the tongue. My thought on the matter is you will never see Rex Ryan sit down Antonio Cromartie or Bart Scott for speaking rashly. The Patriots could have used Welker on their first drive seeing as Brady threw his first interception in 219384739 attempts on it (not that he wouldn't have thrown it otherwise). I just think it was an overreaction.

5. The Miami Heat are the Cleveland Cavaliers 2011. Dwyane Wade is the only difference. Without Lebron James this weekend, the Heat showed that they have no identity on offense and defense. They lacked character against the Bulls, and when the Bulls made their runs with Derrick Rose, the Heat allowed them easy baskets and uncontested jumpers. I think that the Heat are probably a year away from being sheer dominant. I still think they can win the championship, but their overall dominance has yet to been reached.

That....Was.....Awesome!

Directly after hearing this from Steve Czaban from Bob & Brian in Milwaukee, I quoted Tommy Boy out loud. "That.........was.......AWESOME! Sorry about your foot fetish man." I dislike the Patriots with all of my being, but I have to admit, that was great.

GAUNTLET THROWN DOWN!

Right now, it seems like the SNO Tap Family is like the Jersey Shore house.  We have one side that is Sam and Ronnie while the other side is the rest of the cast.  As the Sitch attempted to the day after the fight, I will try to bring us back together.  Only kidding.  I love the cattiness that is being displayed right now and hopefully it goes until it becomes like a WWE match where it's loser goes home match, where one has to quit. Anyways, I don't know why you guys keep squabbling when you can just put a poll question about who is better Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Voting goes a week, the loser owns the winner the shot of their choice at the bar of their choice.

Tom Brady voters here...                   VS.       Peyton Manning  voters here.    

This is why I am awesome.

-Charlie.

Tom Brady is the Most Overrated Quarterback in NFL History (Continued)

Well, Eric, Charlie, and Pat............I'm not the only person who feels that Tom Brady is overrated.

Feel free to leave your ill-conceived, ring-biased, Manning-bashing, emotion-driven responses below. I welcome it.

Just Classic.....

Soccer Officially Announces It's Gay.....

From the Onion Sports Network on Comedy Central. It's on Tuesday nights at 9:30 immediately after Tosh.O. Finally, I have something awesome to watch on a Tuesday night. Enjoy......

Well That's That.......Patriots Win.

Antonio Cromartie just lost the New York Jets the divisional playoff game this Sunday. When asked about Tom Brady, Cromartie first called him an asshole. He then proceeded to say that he "doesn't give a damn about him," citing instead that he plays against the wide receivers, not Brady. When asked how he can feel that way seeing how Brady is throwing passes to those wide receivers, Cromartie responds, "yeah, but if I beat the [expletive] out of the receivers, he can't throw to them."

The best quote was when Cromartie was asked whether Brady tried to how him up on the field. Cromartie responds, "Oh no, he knows better."

WOW. Game over. Now I think my opinion on Tom Brady has been made perfectly clear, but he still is a great quarterback with an element of clutch and a sense of the moment that exceeds most other quarterback in the playoffs. Antonio Cromartie almost gave up the playoffs for the Jets in Saturday's playoff game. Peyton Manning dissected him with Pierre Garcon. Tom Brady with Wes Welker and Deion Branch will absolutely destroy Cromartie.

Make no doubt about it, the evil emperor hoodie is now going to devise a game plan that will expose and embarrass Cromartie. My prediction is that Cromartie gets burned for at least 2 touchdowns. Brady should run up to him and spike the ball in his face, and I will not fault him in the least.

Mike Greenberg's reaction on Mike and Mike in the Morning was absolutely perfect. After reading out Cromartie's quotes, Greenberg said, "Oh God (shudder), Shut up! Shut up!" I nearly snotted out my coffee laughing out loud. It's too bad, but I think Cromartie just handed Tom Brady and the evil emperor hoodie motivation that ultimately ruins any chance of an upset.