Week in Sports - Tuesday, March 27, 2018
NBA INJURIES
Well, let's make this clear right off the bat. When you come here to read my opinions, that is exactly what you will get, my unfiltered opinions, with no cut cards. Steph Curry is injury prone and needs not to skip leg day anymore. Every year it seems he's battling another leg/ankle issue, and there is enough history of this for us to call him soft. He's a phenomenal player but we saw two years ago, when Golden State lost to the Cavs in the finals, the excuse was Steph wasn't 100%. Well, whose fault exactly is that? Its like they have a built in excuse every year. If they win, they are just great and better than everybody, but if they lose, well, they were not 100% healthy, Draymond got suspended, yaddy yaddy yadda. I'm over it. And now, Klay is hurt, Durant is hurt, and Green is hurt. WTF is going on? And they better still win. With all that talent, I don't want to hear about injuries. Toughen up, this ain't football.
Speaking of.... Then you got Kyrie. Remember back in the summer when he basically held a gun to the Cavs head and said I want out, and if you don't trade me, I'm going to go get my knee taken care of and sit out the year. Remember that? Well, if it wasn't enough karma that on the first game of the seaosn his running mate Gordon Hayward went down with a gruesome season ending injury, now he's hurt again and may miss some playoff time. Now, I don't wish injury on anybody, but the irony of the entire situation is quite something.
And for some reason I have memories of two guys mocking a certain superstar from Akron last summer, after Kyrie forced his way out of town. Hmmm...... interesting.
Apples to Oranges
Last week it was reported that Johnny Manziel would be participating at rookie wide receiver Pro Day, as the QB attempting to make them look good for scouts. The real story was that multiple NFL scouts would in fact be there to see him. It instantly started a conversation and debate on why Manziel is being afforded the opportunity to have scouts come see him work out, with the possibility of bringing him onto their football team, while Colin Kaepernick can't even get a workout. Of course its hypocrisy at its finest. Manziel short career was filled with controversy, which included domestic violence, drug and alcohol abuse, and multiple rules violations. Colin on the other hand, well he spoke out and protested the unjust killing of unarmed black men in America.
Manziel tweeted a bevy of statements agreeing with the fact that Kaepernick is being blackballed due to his protest during the 2016 season, and the reason he has not been signed has nothing to do with on the field. Nobody can deny that and that's not exactly breaking news. The problem many, including myself have with this entire situation is we know its bullshit, they know its bullshit, yet it continues. Its not even fair to Manziel, who is looking to get another chance, that he has to feel guilty for trying to work, just because the NFL has completely erased any hope that Kaepernick can work. Manziel is in a spot where if he defends himself and why he feels he should play, people will resent him and his privilege if he's given a chance. And too ficking bad. That's on the NFL. If Kaep is somehow a distraction, what the hell is Manziel but a liability. Hypocrisy.
March Madness.... For Real
I did two brackets at work this year, and no confidence in them whatsoever. It's just very difficult to gauge college basketball teams, with so many teams turning over their roster every year. Ye, I follow the big time players and try to stay up to date on the who's who, but I just don't have the time nor energy to invest in following every school in the country, to be able to be any kind of expert. It's just so different than it used to be. Sure, we have always had great players leave early, but these days, even solid players leave early. Very few stars are able to become apart of the college basketball fabric anymore. I can remember back to the classic ACC battles, with teams that stuck together for at least two or even sometimes three years. They had very good seniors sprinkled in as well. You got to know the teams, feel the rivalries, and I had a better feel for what might happen come tournament time.
I'm currently tied for second place on one of my brackets, but honestly, none of its pretty. I correctly predicted Villanova meeting Kansas in the Final Four, but the other half of the brack is complete trash. Michigan? Loyola Chicago? Whatever man. It's great to see upsets, but is it really an upset if most of the teams have only been together for a year? Madness.