Born and raised in this great state but I mean, really? This is my first post, so let me apologize for my bitter approach. However, a New York January in this new fabulous year of 2011 has brought meeee (in no specific order of crappyness)….

• an exboyfriend winding up all over TMZ for his new ‘celebrity rehab’ fling
• the loss of my papou who was hands down one of THE best men to grace my life
• a 6 game, NYK losing streak after a teeeease of a win against the Spurs
• a Rodgers/Greenbay win over Crapler and Da Bearrrrs, which led to the elimination of my Gmen
• it’s effing cold outside and I’m tired of snow and slush and crappy commutes.

BACK TO THE BASICS:
The Knicks gave us play-off hope but are currently struggling to stay over 500 and although I’m a Giants fan, the Jets were New York’s only hope of giving us something to talk about other than this redonkulous weather.

GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS:
J-E-T-S… (Mets use the same chant, could be problem numer uno)

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No more email alerts regarding Rexy poo’s ability to talk smack or his freaky feet obsesh. Got old (and just weird), fast.

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Roethlisberger doesn’t do it for me. Could be the significant amount of bear-ish facial hair or his tendency to force himself on women. Rodgers is a solid and respectable qb but the bad news herem ladies, is there will be no more sanchez to gue-gue-ga-ga over.

KNICKS:
Two of the more well known rooks are going at it tonight as Fields and the Knicks host ‘teach me how to douggie’ Wall and the Wizards. So far it seems as if Wall is showing Fields how it’s done buuut the Knicks are still hoping (as am I) to put an end to this miserable 6 game losing streak and grab their first W since January 12th.

GOOD NEWS/BAD NEWS

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The bad news comes first this time and it’s that exactly one year ago the Knicks showcased their worst home loss in the history of the franchise…wompwomp

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good news is that aaalmost exactly 10 years ago (Jan 23, 1991), my boy Ewing scored 34 points, had 11 boards and blocked NINE shots to break a 6 game losing streak over the Jazz. Who cares about 1 year anniversaries? I’m feelin a 10-year-anni comin’ along. Step it up, Stoudey.

AT HALF– Tie game, Chandler contributing in swishing and dishing with 14 points and 5 assists. Stoude and Felton in double digits and not far behind Chandler with 13 and 12, respectively.

Let’s get em.

It’s official ladies and gents–tonight’s showdown between four NFL contenders has now come down to the final two.  The #2  Pittsburgh Steelers and #6 Green Bay Packers have clenched their division titles and are headed to Super Bowl XLV.

Highlights:

• Packers: Strong, effective leadership by QB Aaron Rodgers, who has not just led this year’s Packers to the Super Bowl, but is quickly becoming one of the best. During the regular season, Rodgers threw for 28 touchdowns and over 3,000 yards and had a passer rating of 101.0, all very impressive numbers.  It was a close match, but two key interceptions brought the Packs to victory.  The first, B.J. Raji “The Freezer” making a touchdown on an interception for the Packers.  The second, with Sam Shields who intercepts in the last minute for Green Bay.
• Steelers: Defense, Defense, Defense!  One of the most exciting plays of the game was when the Steelers hit New York Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez and knocked the ball free. It was picked up by Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back William Gay and returned 19-yards for a touchdown putting the Steelers up 24-0.  Though the second half was close, the black and yellow held onto their lead and clenched the AFC title. Beautiful!

Who’s heading to Disneyworld? My vote is the Steelers.  Though it’s been a season of nailbiters, the Steelers have managed to keep their cool down to the wire.  They have a strong, seasoned QB and rocking defense to pull them through to the end.  I don’t predict an easy win, however, as the Packers will bring a strong fight. I foresee a close game, perhaps a 24-14 Steelers victory?  Time will tell.

In the meantime, I’ll be busy whipping up a batch of some hearty, healthy gameday chili…

Turkey Bean Pumpkin Chili

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 green bell pepper, chopped
1/2 yellow bell pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, minced
1 pound ground turkey (or beef for you red meat lovers)
2 14.5oz can diced tomatoes
1 14.5oz can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 14.5oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups (1 14.5 ounce can) pumpkin puree
1 12oz can tomato juice (or light ale beer-definitely worth trying)
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin
cayenne pepper to taste
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
fresh cilantro
shredded Cheddar cheese (optional)
sour cream (optional)

Directions:

Heat oil in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat.

Saute the onion, green bell pepper, yellow bell pepper, jalapeno, and garlic until tender, about 10 minutes. Make room in the center of the skillet, add turkey, and brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, beans, pumpkin, and juice. Season with chili powder, cumin, pepper, salt, and cayenne.

Reduce heat and simmer at least 20 minutes. Stir in fresh cilantro.  If preferred, serve topped with Cheddar cheese and sour cream, and a hearty slice of Beer Bread…and a beer.

Start 297 games consecutively???

OR

Stick with one team, even if it means temporarily being benched, to play in the Super Bowl in your last season before retirement???

Today I found myself watching the Flyers and the Blackhawks face off in their re-match of the Stanley Cup Finals while I was eagerly anticipating a full afternoon of NFL playoff action. At one point the Flyers went on the power play and an interesting debate idea sparked in my head.

When you look at the four main professional sports in America (that being Football, Hockey, Baseball and Basketball), which concept of the world “penalty” is the most beneficial to the game?

Lets look at the obvious pros…

NHL: The idea of the man advantage in the NHL is actually a brilliant idea if you ask me. Your team breaks the rules, no problem. We’ll just put you in the penalty box and give your opponent a full 2 minutes to play some 5 on 4 hockey. With the additional skater it gives the team on the power play a major advantage and a chance to put one in the net. It allows teams to capitalize on other team’s weak penalty kill. I think one of the things I like the best about it is it’s when you see how weak or strong a team’s defense actually is. It is the true definition of a penalty… Sit in the box, alone, and watch your team bail themselves out while your opponent has an extra man trying to get the best of your goalie. And all you can do is sit and watch.

And then you add the idea of a delayed penalty. Pull the goalie for those precious 12 seconds to give your team a 6 on 5, followed by 2 minutes of the man advantage. Pretty solid if you ask me.

NFL: The yard penalty. Breaking the rules allows teams to either lose yardage or gain yardage which can lead to a first down. The teams remain at even strength, but their position on the field is subject to change. In a game where positioning is everything, a facemask penalty against your team in the 4th quarter can be brutal… it can even cost you the game under certain circumstances. A first down can suddenly become a lot more than 10 yards and completely change the type of game a quarterback has to play. Not a good passing QB? Well then you better have a damn good running  back if you’ve experienced a 15 yard penalty against your offense at some point in your possession.

NBA: They send the guy to the free-throw line — The mere idea of it is the most basic idea in all of sports if  you ask me. You pay these guys to put the ball in the net and give them an opportunity to shoot un-guarded from the free throw line. Talk about freebies! Despite the fact that a large amount of players in the NBA tend to miss those freebies (which is a whole other can of worms to be opened) the idea of it is still amazing. If you look at how many teams could average at least 20 points per game from the line, it almost seems a little silly if you ask me.

And then there’s those technical fouls that we all love so much. To be honest, I don’t even have an opinion on those. If you took technicals out of basketball all together, I don’t really think I’d notice.

MLB: non-existent. If you’re not going to cooperate, that’s fine. You’ll just get tossed and spend the rest of the game in the clubhouse. I think the closest thing you can even compare to a penalty is getting a base after a balk. And that’s stretching it. For the most part, the only penalty in baseball is the removal of a player from the game… and he just then get’s replaced on the field with someone from the bench. The game goes on.

And then there’s those nasty cons…

NHL: No matter how good your team is on the power play, or how weak theirs may be on the PK, at the end of the day it’s all relative to the skill of the goalie. If he’s hot, he’s hot. Even Ovi or Sid the Kid on the power play against the leagues worst PK wouldn’t be able to score on the worlds best goaltender.

NFL: As long as it’s even strength, their defensive line is still going to match up evenly to your offensive line. Meaning your QB’s job doesn’t actually get any easier. Sure, it may if he gets a first down to put his team at first and goal, but even then, he still has to capitalize or the ball is going to change hands.

NBA: It’s just too common. How many times a game do we send a guy to the line? Especially in the last-minute of a close game. This idea begs the question, since it happens so frequently does it really have any benefits to it?

MLB: From an offensive stand point, there’s no opportunity to benefit from your opponents slacking off.

So, which wins? Well… that’s hard to say. I’m not sure if you can pick one over the other because they all work relative to the rules of the particular sport. But personally… I like the NHL’s man advantage. That’s just me though!

If someone were to ask me, “What’s your favorite sport and why?” I wouldn’t hesitate with my response. “Hockey, because they kick each other’s ass.” It’s great watching athletes rough house without having possession of the ball or puck and throw down gloves and attack when they get pissed. Waiting in the crease for that prime pass? You better believe that goalie is going to be knocking you from behind while trying to avoid your screen.

And what’s the punishment? Not a $100,000 fine or a good talking to by the head of their organization and not a front page story saying you’re too rough, but a measly 2 minutes of sitting in a box.

Growing up watching the Red Wings, I refused to watch the Flyers at first when I moved to Philadelphia.  I must say after 3 years here, I’ve grown to love the Flyers and especially after last night’s game vs. the Senators, they’ve gained my attention.

I’ll sum in up in one sentence:  126 penalty minutes including 10 fighting majors in the third period.

Now that’s my kind of game.

Philadelphia scored twice in the first and once in the second period while Ottawa scored 2 goals in the second and struggled the rest of the game. The third period is when the game turned vicious and reminded me of a gang brawl in North Philly. Hartnell, van Reimsdyk and Meszaros each scored frustrating the Senators to the point that they knew they wouldn’t be able to catch up. There were so many sticks and gloves on the ice it looked like a Dick’s Sporting Goods store threw up.  I wish I was alive to watch the Broad Street Bullies in action, but I feel like this game makes up for that.  The Senators and the Flyers had a combined 126 penalty minutes with Ottawa taking 15 penalties for 69 minutes and Flyers 13 penalties for 57 minutes.

The best part is players who aren’t usually enforcers, like Jeff Carter, were fighting. A quote from ESPN, “I wasn’t doing much else out there, so I figured I’d do something,” Carter said.”

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=6044939&categoryid=2459791

Winning 6-2, this was a great game for the Flyers as the Senators failed to score. I guess the only thing Ottawa could do was drop their gloves.

I’d really love to see a goalie fight.  Oh well, maybe next time.

A Judge is going to force teammates and former players to testify in the Barry Bonds trial?

Has anyone else had enough already?

If it’s not Bonds, it’s Petite, or Big Papi, or Giambi… even in his gold thong.

Now you want to throw them all in front of a jury to testify against him? What are they going to say? Are they really going to throw him under the bus, without throwing themselves, as well as the respect of major league baseball under the bus too?

I’m not saying I’m ready to embrace the idea of steroids in major league baseball, in fact, I  hate the idea. But what I hate more is the constant headlines. Ok. I get it.

So, why don’t you just go ahead and punish them all. All modern day players who have ever used steroids. Because the list would stop at 6 (can you sense my sarcasm on that?)…

Hey! Hey! Hockeytown!

Shout out to Detroit! And congrats on signing the decade-and-a-half-late Russian sixth by nabbing Nabokov. Last night while you were in St.Louis, riding out the Blues- I was emotionally cheating. I watched a Rangers game.

Please don’t be upset. It was nothing , really- in fact Brandon Sutter almost looks like a man compared to the Ranger’s offense. He scored the Hurricane’s 3rd goal half way through the second period. Check out the manly features the 21 year-old  alternate captain has to look forward to in this father, Brett Sutter.

I got prematurely excited when I thought I had found the Littlest Bash brother. It turns out he’s just the NHL’s baby brother. Both Ken Wu and Jeff Skinner are accomplished figure-skaters turned hockey-pros.

Skinner stood out offensively earning 2 points last night with one goal and one assist. Skinner and the Hurricane’s thirty-nine-saves-last-night goalie, Cam Ward will be together at the 2011 All-Star game. Their ages together add up to that of Detroit’s solo All-Star, Captain Nicklas Lidstrom. Hurricane’s captain, Eric Staal, who played rough against his brother Marc last night, will also be representing Carolina at home during All-Star week.

So no worries, Detroit. I could never leave you for the Rangers. I do, however, think it would be wise not to underestimate Carolina’s youth…especially during trading season. As for my final thoughts? I’ll borrow the words straight from last night’s commentary:

“Rangers have had chances. Haven’t been able to finish. Carolina on the other hand, has been able to finish.”

This weekend’s AFC showdown between the New York Jets and the Pittsburgh Steelers has NFL fans all over the country buzzing… This is what playoff football is supposed to be! Coming from someone who lives in Detroit and watches the Lions every Sunday, it’s almost a breath of fresh air to see a matchup between 2 such talented teams.

So, while fans may be biting their nails and questioning the outcome of this weekend’s game, I’m going to make the answer easy for you: all you really need to do is look back 5 weeks.

It was in week 15 that the Jets came to Pittsburgh and beat the Steelers in their own stadium. In that game, Roethlisberger posted a passer rating that was almost 20 points lower than his season average. For whatever reason, the Jets had Big Ben all figured out, and came out with the W in the end.

So, when you look at the numbers going into Saturday’s game, there is one elephant in the room: DEFENSE. If teams played the way they looked on paper, Pitt would be heading to the Super bowl, no question about it, based on the numbers they kept their opponents to this season in yards allowed, points allowed, and turnovers. Their numbers aren’t good — they’re great.  But if I’ve learned anything at all about sports in my entire life it’s that the teams that are good on paper are the ones that can disappoint the most.

Now the Jets may not look as good on paper, but did anyone else see Tom Brady last week? In all the years I’ve watched him play, I don’t think he has ever looked that out-of-place on a football field. And this is the guy who’s got MVP consideration.

Call me crazy, but if you can make Tom Brady look lost, there’s no doubt in my mind you can make Big Ben Roethlisberger look lost… and stranded on a deserted Island. Alone.

The Jets have the potential to play even better against the Steelers than they did against the Patriots. The success they had against them earlier this season will be a huge boost for them… The Jets are moving on, sorry Pittsburgh!

Men and their sports.
Men and their sex.

Are they synonymous?

You betch’ya! On a Sarah Palin scale of chiseled chins and chest-beating manliness, sports and sex are forever intertwined in conversation. When women enter the dialogue, they draw interference.

Sex-drive stops sports-talk at a yard line where men are either caught carrying the conversation because they refuse to play ball with a girl or their words drown in drool cuz this chick knows her shit.

So welcome ladies, to an arena of straight sports-talk. Where we’ll get down and dirty with the boys, but never lose our swagger, because- well, we’re not men. We can separate sports and sex. I mean, there is nothing sexual about men tackling and “sacking” other men. Nada.