The Inaugural Post

Welcome to the blog! It has been something I have wanted to do for awhile and I finally got a chance to get it going. I could talk about sports for hours so I figured I should get my thoughts into the wide open. So whynot make a blog? Let's get to the fun stuff:

The NFC B-East
What a year it has already been in the National Football League. There have been big injuries, undefeated teams, winless teams, firings and a lot of parity. The biggest story thus far has to be the NFC East division. The four teams within the division (Eagles, Giants, Redskins, Cowboys) are a resounding 14-5, with the Eagles possessing three of the five losses. It is difficult in today's age of parity to have three teams in one division combining for only two losses, one of which was the Cowboys losing to, who else, the Redskins. And a large amount of credit should be given to the Giants, a team looking like it wants to be back in the spotlight in February. Putting up 44 points on the hapless Seattle Seahawks? Without Plaxico Burress?! Eli Manning has really come into his own in less than a year. Quite amazing.

McCarver vs. Manny
Manny Ramirez has made the Dodgers a legitimate threat to reach the World Series, which in itself is amazing when you consider how much he was maligned in Boston throughout the last few months of his tenure. Tim McCarver cited Manny's behavior as "dispicable," which may be a little too hard considering many of us do not know what was going on behind the scenes between Ramirez and the Red Sox front office. Yeah, Manny dogged a few plays because he wasn't given the money in Beantown. But when you consider Manny's career any logical person has to realize that he is one of the best right-handed hitters in baseball history. I understand McCarver's perspective because he is "old school." He was a hard knock. But if you can swing a bat like a golf club and hit a towering home run at Wrigley Field in the postseason, you are alright in my book.

Seeing Red?
Hockey season is about to be under way. Yes! Being from Michigan, hockey is in my blood. I obviously bleed red and white because of the NHL's best team, the Detroit Red Wings. There is no denying the amount of talent and experience the Wings have. They have Selke trophy winners, multiple Conn Smythe trophy winners, Lady Byng trophy winners and a six time Norris trophy winner (Nicklas Lidstrom). Oh, one more thing: EXPERIENCE. They were barely rattled in last year's postseason and went on to smother Sid the Kid's dreams. They have all the same talent back, but the disgusting aspect is how they also acquired a perennial goal-scorer in Marian Hossa. After Hossa was devoured in the Finals last year, he decided to sign a one-year deal to join his former enemy. He, along with Ty Conklin, made the choice to join a team that is always on or near the top of the standings, always in the playoffs and usually a team always mentioned to reach the Finals. I honestly believe the Red Wings will be back in the Finals again this season. Call me a homer if you'd like, but I am looking at the facts. The roster got better (which is rare after a Cup winning season) and they still have every other team's number. A rematch of last year's Finals could be a possibility as well because Sidney Crosby will surely be motivated after last year's somber ending. But when a team has four formidable lines as Detroit does, you put the money in their corner. Plus, they were the last NHL team to repeat (in 97 and 98).

What to watch for:
The Red River shootout between #1 Oklahoma and #5 Texas. We all get to see two of the best quarterbacks in the game in Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy. They have "NFL" written all over them.