Wednesday

Age - It's just a number!!!

Jetlag is over and its time to get back to my weekly scheduled blog on the top 5 news stories I am following around the world of sports. Before I get into that I wanted to mention a few other things. The fall TV season has begun and there are definitely some new shows worth watching.

- For people who like a good Suspense/Action/Drama like 24, a great new show is Prison Break that airs on FOX on Monday Nights at 9pm (ET). My girl Solitaire pointed out a bonus reason to watch this show... Wentworth Miller!! He is definitely "Fyne" in my books. Aside from the fact that Mr. Miller is the star of the show, the plot is a very interesting one of man trying to break his elder brother (who is on death row) out of prison. If you haven't seen it yet... you are missing out so go try to get your hands on the first few episodes.

- The next show I am going to recommend has gotten a ton of press and not all positive. Mary Louise Parker stars as a widowed mom in this single camera show Weeds that airs on Showtime. (For my friends in Canada... Downloading is the way to go since we don't get the show on TV here unless you get showcase where the show is premiering on October 12th.) The premise is of a typical suburban family that was left without a husband/father and so the mother turns to selling weed in the fictional town of Agrestic, California. The dialogue witty, the acting superb adds to a story that took things a bit out of the box and put a reality on TV. Ofcourse, a show dealing so openly with the use and sale of marijuana has gotten its share of negative press, but its worth checking this one out.

- Next week the new season of
America's Next Top Model begins and I cant wait. The new group of women look great and from the buzz on the net these women are much more prepared for the world of modeling than the previews seasons. On a side note... does Tyra Banks have a thing for brunettes?? From the pictures I have seen only 2 of the girls in the new season actually sport a blonde coiffe.

- Last but not least is the Apprentice series. This season we get double dosage of the hit reality show as contestants vie to get a job with "The Donald" (Donald Trump) and additionally this year with Martha Stewart.
To be honest, I don't know if this Martha version is going to work for me but curiosity prevails and I will be tuning in to see the premiere of The Apprentice: Martha Stewart next Wednesday on NBC. As for The Donald.. Word has it that he was disappointed in a few things from the last season and this year went and hand picked his contestants. I found last season to be pretty disappointing as well in terms of the people chosen and I am looking forward to seeing the Apprentice return to its first season glory. Tune into NBC next Thursday for the premiere... If nothing else you get another look at that terrible combover he has going for himself.

Now back to the world of sports... I begin with a quote from a sports legend

"The harder you work, the harder it is to surrender" - Vince Lombardi

#5: Jerry Rice: I'm done!!!
He has had a storied career as the most successful wide receiver that has ever played in the NFL. At age 42, legendary WR Jerry Rice retired from the game of football after a 20 year stint in the league. His role with his current team had been reduced to a 4th or 5th receiver and he figured this was the time to go out rather than be a cheerleader on the sidelines. Rice ends his career with 38 NFL records, including the most career receptions (1,549), yards receiving (22,895) and touchdowns receiving (197) on his list of accomplishments. He also led the San Francisco 49'ers to 3 superbowl titles and set the standards for future wide receivers who enter the game. A guaranteed spot in the hall of fame awaits Jerry Rice who said last week, "I never thought I'd ever see this day" (Denver -AP)

#4: Andre Agassi - 35 and in the U.S. open finals
He had the expression of a 7 year old as he won his semi-final match against Robby Ginepri... Andre Agassi was the oldest Grand Slam finalist in over 30 years. 35 is not considered old to most but in the world of tennis it is near ancient. Agassi headed into the finals against Roger Federer as a huge underdog but from everything I saw on the court this 8 time grand slam title winner was not ready to close out his career. He mastered his game in the later stages in his career as it became brain over brawn for him and as he challenged his opponents and pulled out wins. A dynamic personality on and off the court Andre has helped evolve the sport for the modern day fan and helped bring tennis back to the forefront. I hope we haven't seen the last of him...

#3: Mark Messier - Stepping of the ice for good
A 25 year career comes to a close as Mark Messier at age 44 and what a glorified career it was. Messier who retired as a New York Ranger won 6 Stanley Cups; 5 with the Edmonton Oilers and 1 infamous one with the Rangers where he had guaranteed the city of New York a cup in 1994. Amassing 694 goals, 1,193 assists, 1,887 points and 1,910 penalty minutes in 1,756 games Messier was never about personal statistics and was known to be the perfect captain in the locker room. To most around the league he will be remembered as one of the greatest men to ever play the game and to those who had the chance to be a teammate of his, they will have had the honor to have been on the ice with the man who will soon find a home in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

#2: NHL - Where the drama never ends...nashty
Training camps are underway and there have been a flurry of retirements in the National Hockey League but behind the scenes there are still problems. What the media has tagged a "rogue group" is against the hiring of new NHL Player Representative Ted Saskin. The small group of players, mostly veterans in the league, believed he was elected without a proper vote and feel that the process may have been tainted. Ted Saskin has offered to re-open the voting for his election for the job and it seems that now the players will have a silent vote to confirm the decision to keep Saskin as their new player rep. Hopefully by the end of the week this issue will be resolved and we can get ready for the real action... On the ICE!!!

#1: J. Rose v/s Rob Babcock v/s Raptor fans
"Whether we win or lose more games than last year, I think if you look at us on paper, we probably will not win as many games as last year." Rob Babcock said to the Toronto Sun. Never shy to speak his mind, Jalen Rose voiced his displeasure in reaction to the General Managers words. "Even bad teams have optimism. You don't want to take away the optimism so early in the season. The Bad News Bears coach wouldn't even tell (his team) that." Jalen told the Toronto Sun. Meanwhile fans of the Raptors are understandably furious and were trying to buy into the youth movement but no one ever expected to have to hear such negative words towards their team from the man who is supposed to be building a winner. There is a lot of controversy in the air and rumours of MLSE wanting to sell the Raptors have even emerged. This issue may have been taken out of context and Rob Babcock has gone ahead and tried to clear up his mess (read) ,but it better calm down before it becomes just another distraction in the Raptors locker room heading into training camp. Raptors fans thought they had seen the end of this saga that is the Raptors organization but they may have been a little to quick to jump to that conclusion.

Sunday

Countdown to Kickoff - Part II

Okay shoot me! I am really taking my time getting used to the 11 hour time difference from my recent travels. Either way, Sunday games kickoff in less than 24 hours so I am going to go ahead and give you my rundown for the NFC. There are definitely some surprises in this conference and my bias may be a little evident as I say that the Philadelphia Ealges should once again clinch the NFC for the regular season.

NFC EAST
Donovan McNabb has flourished under coach Andy Reid and up until last year he did not have a legitimate receiver to throwto. Enter the most dynamic wide receiver in the game today, Terrell Owens. These two had phenomenal seasons in their own right but with Owens' aggressive personality there were some very public riffs amongst the WR , QB and the coach. All this drama still exists in the forefront as we head into the season but it has not put a doubt in my mind... The Philadelphia Eagles should clinch the NFC east this year. On their tails the Dallas Cowboys under Bill Parcels should be vying for a wildcard spot in this years playoffs. With a healthy Julius Jones and an experienced but aging Drew Bledsoe they have a great chance at seeing some action in this years post season. The Washington Redskins looked great on paper last year and somewhat this year as well but will probably disappoint missing the playoffs all together this year. The Giants should finish last in this division barring some miracles from their young quarterback.

Standings


NFC NORTH
Daunte Culpepper is probably in the top 3 QB's currently playing in the NFL. The Minnesota Vikings may have lost a great Wide receiver in Randy Moss but they still have one of the most dominating quarterbacks in the game and a solid pair of corner backs on defence that will be their strength in clinching the #1 spot in this division over the Green Bay Packers. Bret Favre may be one of the best players to ever play the quarterback position but I think this year will be his last as the age factor will kick in. As the season unfolds my prediction is Green Bay and the Dallas Cowboys will be fighting for the wildcard spot along with Atlanta and possibly a team like the Seahawks in the West. In this division the Detroit Lions who will be hosting the superbowl will struggle and many have picked them as sleepers to squeak in to the playoffs but I look at them as having a losing record and looking forward to the future. Chicago was one team that messed with the Vegas odds last year. They almost always went in the game as underdogs and the other team rarely covered the spread but as last year they are just not playoff contenders this year and will probably end up with one of the worst records in the NFC.

Standings


NFC SOUTH
Defence over Offence? One may think Atlanta is the team to beat in this division but last year the Carolina Panthers played injured and they still had some great games and I believe they will be the victors in the NFC South. With Jake Delhomme running their offence this years Panthers should be able to grab the division barring any major injuries like last year. The Atlanta Falcons have definitely got something to be happy about. They have one of the most exciting quarterbacks in the game manning their offence but Vick needs to evolve his game. Sure he can run and displays spurts of brilliance but his passing game has yet to be really refined and this is something that comes with experience but I think the Falcons should nab one of the wildcard spots in the NFC. Tampa Bay a team who walked away champions not to long ago are still finding their place again after a miserable season last year they hope to bounce back but I don't see them holding a winning record this year. As for the New Orleans Saints... They are in a tough spot. They have some bright spots but just are not there yet. This year with the hurricane disaster it may be even harder to get an audience and a winning record. Their quarterback has shown to be promising but their core is still weak and needs some key pieces before they become legitimate contenders.

Standings


NFC WEST
The St.Louis Rams are definitely the team to beat in this division and their only real competition should be from the Seattle Seahawks who should have a decent season. Mark Bulger may not be the best quarterback in the league but with a running back like Marshall Faulk on your side you need not worry so much and in one of the least competitive divisions in my opinion, this should be more than enough to make sure the Rams clinch the division and their spot in the playoffs. The Seahawks have toyed with consistency but they are my "you never know" team. Sure they have some great players in Sean Alexander and last year the quarterback Matt Hasselback showed some great signs but I don't think this team is ready yet and might be a sleeper to squeak into the post season. As for the Arizona Cardinals and the San Francisco 49'ers .... check back next year! These two teams have a ways to go and lets hope their rookies start to develop.

Standings


Friday

Countdown to Kickoff - Previewing the upcoming NFL season

I have been humming the tune for Monday Night Football all week. The 2004-2005 season ended in heartbreak for me as my team, the Philadelphia Eagles, lost in the superbowl to the New England Patriots. Sure I was glad to see them make it to the final dance but this year I want even more than ever for them to win it all. I will try my best to be unbiased this season when I write about football but there will be days when I feel extra passionate for my team so I hope people don't mind. At this time I would also like to congratulate again the New England Patriots for what they accomplished in the last 4 years. They have done something that seemed near impossible in an era of salary caps ... They became a dynasty. I have been suffering from some major jetlag so I decided to do this piece in two parts with the AFC going first. Part two will have a rundown of the NFC as well as a complete prediction of how many games I think each team will win. Hope you enjoy it.

AFC EAST

I shall never doubt the brilliance of coach Bill Belichick. Even with a new defensive coordinator ... An obvious exclusion of an offensive coordinator and a few missing pieces from last year I think the New England Patriots have this division locked. The Jets are a great team don't get me wrong they might even try to push for a wild card slot but that's the best I can see for them this year. As for the Bills they have added a few key pieces but I don't think their defence will stand as strong as it did last year and that will be a huge difference. The Dolphins may have Ricky Williams back but they have a long ways to go to be contenders. Their offense shows major weaknesses beginning with their quarterback.

Standings


AFC NORTH

To be honest this division had me the most uncertain of a clear cut winner. There is one this for sure the Steelers are definitely not going 15-1 this season. From my predictions they will be lucky to make it to double digits in the win column and possibly nab a wild card spot. Like a lot of people I do believe the Bengals have something to show us this year and are the sleeper pick to win this division or atleast a wild card slot. I changed my mind several times about this pick but I see The Baltimore Ravens pretty much on par with Cincinnati if not below them to give the Steelers a run for their money in the wild card race. The Browns very similar to the dolphins are just not in the picture at the moment to be considered a threat in this division that will be close till the very end.

Standings


AFC SOUTH

As much as I have read during the pre-season that Steve McNair is ready this season I am not convinced that he can lead the Titans to win the division over the powerful Colts offence. The Peyton Manning - Marvin Harrison connection has been almost perfected to a T and they are definitely the team to beat in this division and probably grab the number 1 spot in the conference. The Titans have made some steps forward but they have some real competition from a charged Houston Texans team. The Titans had their window and I think it has passed them and the Texans are just coming alive and should nab the 2nd spot in this division but will probably be looking at the playoffs from the outside as the AFC has a lot of powerhouses they would have to beat out to grab a wildcard spot. Not far behind are the Jaguars who have a defence made up of no names but it is a very good defence and as it goes if you got defence you never know. The Jags look to be a sleeper team to many but I think they will be looking from the outside this year along with the Titans and the Texans.

Standings


AFC WEST
Can Drew Brees show us some of what we saw last season? I hope so I like the Chargers this year for this division. They have a pretty darn good offensive set up and with no major threats in this division I think this division title is theirs to lose. The Denver Broncos are not to be forgotten here like the Bengals they are my sleeper pick to possibly win this division or somehow get a wild card slot and see themselves in the post season this year. As for the Raiders I am writing this after watching game one and it didn't really change my mind. Kerry Collins just can't bring it. Randy Moss showed some good signs and he might have some great games but consistency is the problem here in this case the offence just is not going to be enough. I know people might be thinking what about the Chiefs... But to be honest I am not a fan and I don't see them doing anything to write home about. Sure they have offence, but as we know: "Offence wins games but Defence wins championships!!!"

Standings


That's all for now... I shall be back later in the day with the part two for this piece and some bold predictions of the team by team wins and losses for the year. (P.S: Sorry for the crappy layout i will try to fix it when i work on part 2)

Tuesday

Back to Life.... Back to reality

Its been a crazy summer and my temporary blogging hiatus is officially over. I didn't think the wedding in the family would be so consuming but overall it went well and after two months of total chaos and a few 8 hour plane rides later, I am finally back to a state of normalcy. I figured I shall fill my few readers up on what's been going on with me before I get back to my regular sports blogging.


  • The wedding was a long drawn out affair and basically lasted for an entire week of dinners and dressing up and trying to survive 4-8 hours a night in very uncomfortable shoes. Even though I bitched and groaned it was a blast as we had our entire family fly down from all over the world, some of them whom we rarely get a chance to see. The bride looked beautiful and the venue was stunning and before we could stop and absorb it all we were ready to fly off and continue with the wedding festivities on the other side of the world.

  • Next stop Pakistan... The wedding wasn't over just yet. We all flew to my country of birth and there was an encore wedding reception there. As a bonus, this year was also my 10 year reunion from high school. I have not been back home as much as I thought I would and had lost touch with most of my peers but got a chance to see some of them after 10 years which was great. Some were married with children and others hadn't grown up one bit .. Overall it was nice to look back at the good times and our youth.

  • Next up .... Dubai (United Arab Emirates) My parents left Canada last year and moved to Dubai but since its about a 16 hour plane ride this is my 2nd time visiting them in a year. I decided I wanted to spend my birthday with my family this year as usually I am away from them at this time of year. This turned out to be a not so good idea.. The birthday was great but the average temperature in Dubai was soaring around 50 degrees Celsius daily. My glasses fogged up when going from the house to the car and I could barely breathe as there were several dust storms happening. Dubai is a incredible place but note to self: never go there in the summer!!! 6 days was enough for me and I was ready to go home.

  • I got back on the 29th of august but not for long. Our usual trip to Vegas was booked for September 1st with 5 of my close friends and before I knew it I was off to sin city for some fun in the sun and if I was lucky some extra cash in my pocket. We stayed at the newest hotel in Vegas "The Wynn" and it was unreal... Huge suites with plasma TV's in the bathroom so u can bathe and watch TV and the room had stunning views of the pools, golf course and the Las Vegas strip. I had some luck at the tables rolling dice and won myself a mini shopping spree which was cool and also saw some celebs like Wayne Gretzky, Mos Def, Xzibit, Eric McCormack and Charlize Theron. Come Sunday night I was exhausted and ready to go home.

Now that my travels are done and the wedding is a memory I can finally get back to writing regularly. I have so many topics I have wanted to write about and have not had the time but I shall start off by a countdown to kickoff for the NFL season and then return to my regularly scheduled weekly top 5 sports stories of the week article. I hope to end the weekend with a little look into the free agent market in the NBA and the NHL. I have been reading other peoples blogs as often as I can but have not commented in a while but you all shall be hearing from me soon.

Ciao for now ... Nat.