NBA, Trailblazers, Greg Oden Happy

FROM "The Thought Spigot"
http://www.thethoughtspigot.com/

Greg Oden has would have no luck, if he didn't have bad luck. Oden is out 2-4 weeks with a "sprained right ankle," after an MRI revealed nothing substantial. The Portland Trailblazers first round pick, of 2007, had "micro-fracture surgery" ending his whole 2007 campaign, and in the first quarter of the first official game of the year, he is down with the "ankle sprain." The big man for the Trailblazers was to be a huge impact, in the paint, on the glass, and doing battle with the whole array of Western Conference big men (such as, Shaq, Duncan, Bynum, Staudomire, and a big mix of others). However, as of now, Portland will have to lean on either a substantially smaller line-up, or they will go with a substantially less talented rotation of big men.

The Western Conference is by far the superior conference, as whole, and the Trailblazers were looking to take the sixth thru eight playoff spot, with Oden in the line-up. As the NBA is looking to the "next big thing" (no pun intended), Oden was a poster boy, coming out of high school. In the next two weeks, he was to go against Shaq, Yao Ming, Dwight Howard, and Tim Duncan (with that line-up of Centers, it might be good he was hurt, when he was, keeping him fresh). Those match ups will not be happening in a row, but will be happening later in the season. Two to four weeks are not the end of the world, and the NBA season is a hard, long, and grueling one, especially for the big men (of the league).

Portland's GM & Owner, players and fans were all holding their collective breaths. They can now exhale, knowing Oden is not out for a substantial period of time, looking at big weight gain and rehab. However, their is still going to be some major questions for Greg this year. The twenty year old, shot blocking guru, will be considered injury prone, until he isn't. This is not a fair shot at such a young man, but the bigger you are the harder you fall (pun intended), there is more wear and tear on a big man's body, and the physiology of big men, playing a sport at the level they do and against other alike, is a situation for critical mass. Stepping on a foot, is a potential broken ankle, every dunk is a potential ACL/MCL tear, and even just knocking knees in the paint of the NBA can break/dispose a knee cap (ask the Laker's Andrew Bynum). Time will tell, but I am sure the NBA, all of Portland's team and fans, and the fans around the NBA (not to mention fantasy basketball fans) are all pulling for "Mr. Oden" to come back, bigger and stronger, with a well rested body, for the remainder of the season. All eyes will be on Oden, when he emerges from the tunnel, in two to four weeks.

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TITANS SHOW THE AFC WHO IS BOSS

Don't look now, but the Tennessee Titans have finally bucked the AFC "non-challenged" moniker, off of their backs. On Monday Night Football, in prime time, the Titans smacked the Indianapolis Colts, 31-21. The Titans season began, in a very auspicious way, with the physical and emotional injury to franchise QB, Vince Young. Sportswriters, then began with quips like, "they have not played anyone" and "wait until the Colts come to town." Well, the Colts have come and gone, and the Titans are 7-0.

Monday Night, the Titans were hitting on all cylinders, with a mounting offense, hard hitting defense, and even some highlight reel plays (which most feel is odd, as the Titans are not looked at, as an offensive team). The beginning of the game started off with an "uh-oh" type feel, with Peyton Manning hitting Dallas Clark with two TD throws, in the sending the Colts out to a 14-6 lead (with the Titans only getting two Bironas FGs), just into the third quarter. Then everything change. It really was not like the defense wasn't doing their job, in those opening quarters, they were just missing. An interception slipping out of Michael Griffins hands, Haynesworth and the D-line just missing Manning in the pocket, and they were "keeping things close."

Then the Titans showed the rest of the country what they already knew, at this point in the season, "they are the team to beat in the AFC." Given, this is not the same NFL, as it has been over the last three to four seasons (with Brady's leg injuries, the Cowboys imploding, Peyton having "timing issues" and the list goes on), but every Sunday to this point the Titans have gotten it done. After the Dallas Clark TD, the Titans went on a 24 point run. Big LenDale White had two TD runs, one was a spectacular goal line play, where he just stretched over the goal line, after a Manning INT. Then the "D" came into the game, big time, where Chris Hope came up with his first two INT's of the season, in the second half. The second interception sealed the game for the Titans. Kerry Collins was solid with a 193 Yard night (with no ints/no TDs), Chris Johnson rushed for 77 yards and a game ending TD, while LenDale White put two into the end zone, as stated.

Going into the second half of the season, the Titans are ahead of the other AFC teams by a full two games. The Bills, Steelers, and Patriots are all at 5-2, and in their own division the Houston Texans are 3-4. The Titans are a lock to win their division and are looking to go deep into the playoffs. For the first time since Steve McNair's retirement, the Titans fans have something to cheer about, besides the "Music City Miracle" season. They have a defense that will not quit, two dominate running backs (Chris Johnson looking for rookie of the year status, possibly), and a veteran QB who does not do to much and makes very little, in the way of mistakes. The Titans have the possibility to beat any team in the NFL, now. Monday night proved, they can win games with scores which are more than 14-10, or the low scoring games. As long as they stay healthy, the Tennessee Titans are in it to win it. It is just a matter of "any given Sunday," now.

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"Sweet Lou" Loses Game 1 For Chicago Cubs, in Playoffs

The "Billy Goat Curse," a sense of tension caused by a 100 year drought, or just a regular "on any given day, any team can beat another" may be the reason the Cubs lost to the Dodgers (in game one) in the playoffs tonight. The Chicago Cubs came out to play, in game one of the playoffs, and looked like a team facing extinction. In a five game series, there is countless strategies involved, and Lou Pinella can take full responsibility for the loss in game one. It wasn't a curse, no billy goats, history was not against the "loveable losers," instead it was Pinella playing for game two, rather than playing for a lead in the playoffs and for game one.

Ryan Dempster is a fine pitcher, but he is not a Carlos Zambrano. Carlos Zambrano is the ace of the staff, the "C.C. Sabathia" of the Cubs, and he is clutch, a man/player who feeds off of emotion, and a great hitter (one of the best, as a pitcher) to boot. Yet, "Sweet Lou" started Ryan Dempster, in game one. Some may ask themselves why, or maybe they are not giving it a second thought, but there is only one reason. Lou Pinella thought, if the Cubs lose game one, then he will be able to bring "Big Z/Baby Bull" out for game two, and there is a lock. Pinella played for the split, at home, in front of a sell out Wrigley Field crowd, with the best National League team (possibly the best overall Cubs team, since 1984), and there is nobody to blame, but Lou Pinella. In a short series, teams have to play for the day, using momentum, and every single advantage at their disposal. Pinella did not utilize his most prize possession, in game one, momentum and his ace.

The whole Cubs team looked tight, not confident and timid, and they lacked a leader on the field, to pull them out of this funk (from beginning to end). If Carlos Zambrano was on the "bump" for game one, the Cubs would have had a completely different feeling, going on the field. Zambrano is a fiery, no frills, flame thrower, who also has three other dominate pitches. Maybe, three, or even two years ago, Zambrano (like other fiery pitchers before them) would have been "to excited/fired up," but not this "Z". He has been able to harness his most beneficial asset, his fire, drive, and love for the game, to make him a constant top five Cy Young pitcher year in, year out. Starting Zambrano, who had more than enough rest (6 days), who had a 14-6 record, 3.81 era, 130 K's and a 1.21 WHIP, all with a month out in the middle of the season (also bringing a .337 avg., 14 rbi's and 4 home runs). The Cubs are the only team that did not start their ace (with the exception of the Brewers, who had to pitch C.C. Sabathia, three times on three days rest, to get to the playoffs). A team's ace is not always the player with all the best stats, either.

The bottom line, with Zambrano sitting game one, he is not going to have the option of pitching two times, if the series goes to five games (which it now may). 24 of the last 28 teams to have won game one, of a five game playoff series, have gone on to win the series. When the time comes to "play to stay," a team's manager must put their most dominate, player with the most situational prowess, and mostly the pitcher who makes the whole team better (both in the field, at the plate, but most importantly to the team's psyche). Lou Pinella did not only let the Chicago area down, the Cub fans around the world down, his team down, but he also let Carlos Zambrano down. The energy he would have channeled thru a 2-0 lead (after the 2 run homer from Mark DeRosa) would have gone a long way with "Z" and the team. Instead, the constant back and forth panning of the camera, to Zambrano, showed him stewing and flipping a ball in the air, but now his energy in game two will be set to a "can't lose effort," rather than giving him the ball in game one, for a possible win and game five appearance. The Dodgers now have the momentum, but more importantly (Lou Pinella) has given the Cubs a huge desperation feeling of, "Oh no, not 101 years, without a World Series win." Nice going "Sweet Lou," nothing like playing behind the eight ball, but the Cubs would have it no other way.

Hopefully, I am wrong, and they come back and sweep, the next three.

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