The NBA: It's Fantastic!.......by Chitown TOE

Folks, I haven't been this excited about NBA basketball since Jordan was making Mormons cry in 1998. In the ten years that followed, my heart was trampled by my Chicago Bulls. The NBA was lacking excitement and its bona-fide superstars weren't necessarily making the world forget MJ. Now, don't get me wrong, as a basketball coach I enjoy watching the Spurs play, but they don't exactly scream excitement. So here are five reasons why you should tune in to the rest of the 2008 NBA Season:

1. The Superstar: They are everywhere in the NBA these days....even helping build up New Orleans during the NBA All-Star Weekend. Just YouTube a few clips of Kobe, Lebron, D-wade, or Steve Nash and you will be mesmerized. These are the best athletes in the world. We tended to forget that in the post MJ era. We were so busy watching Shaq bowl over people and dunk, we forgot to check out the skill that is now upon us. (Added bonus: The thug image is disappearing. Sure there is still AI, who participates in more illegal activities than Kelvin Sampson, but most of the stars have a good image and are very marketable, ala MJ.)

2. Team Basketball: Ah, the number one complaint from basketball purists. "Everybody just stands around and watches 1 on 1." Now this argument could be made if you only watch the Cavs. But watch the Suns run, watch the 4 guys on the Pistons throw up 15+ a night, check out the Spurs big three pick apart defenses, and watch Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer run the pick-and-roll. Run-and-Gun team basketball is back and better than ever.

3. Dwight Howard. Young, explosive, and a perfect new type of big man. Watch the energy he plays with and the way he throws down. Unbelievable. He has already had two 30+ points, 20+rebound games and three 20-20 games. Just sick! (Maybe Van Gundy should get him the ball a bit more instead of having him run pick and rolls with Jameer Nelson at the 3 point line.)

4. The Wild, Wild West! As of today the top 9 teams are within 5 games of each other. Kobe's got help, Chris Paul is a contender for MVP, leading the Hornets out of the doldrums, and the Mavs just got Jason Kidd, one of the best point guards ever. Teams could lose 2 games in a row and drop 6 spots in the standings. Hang on for a wild ride. By the way, I would never bet against Kobe if I were you.

5. Point Guard Play. This is the best group of point guards in NBA History top to bottom. Just look at my top 5 list: 1) Nash 2) Paul 3) Williams 4) Parker 5) Baron Davis
Jason Kidd isn't even in the top 5 any more. They are young, can run the break and are incredible to watch. They can score when they want, dish when they need to, and rarely turn the ball over. They are coaches and fans dreams.

Folks, if you gave up on it when MJ retired and got sick of Shaq and the Lakers, it is time to tune back in.

Pics: Howard: www.si.com
Nash : www.posters.com

Super Bowl Preview by Chi-town Toe

Super Bowl Picks? Why not? Everybody else seems to be doing them. More money is changing hands during the hour leading up to a Super Bowl party than before Al Capone went to trial. If everybody else thinks their suited to make some picks and predictions, then why can't I? I might be sans appendix and laid up in bed with staples in my gut, but these are picks that are bound to be right. Nevermind the fact that I, myself, will be making no major bets on the big game, but you can still trust these.

I have only seen the Giants play a few times this year, but grew to like them a bit when my Grandma gave me the book THE GM, by Tom Callahan. It was about Ernie Accorsi, the GM of the Giants who retired last year. It was an inside look at the team and now I feel somewhat connected. That being said, I am not a big Eli Manning fan. He has his moment but most of the time looks like a hunter with a gun who's scared of the deer approaching. I don't think he has realized his talent. Plus, he is a Manning and I hate the Mannings and their stupid faces they make when they have failed win a big game. (Which for Peyton, is every game of his life save for a miracle last year.)

The Patriots are a bit of a different story. The news has been following them all year. I think there are more cameras following Tom Brady than Brittney Spears and Lindsay Lohan put together. Plus, with Tom the only story has been a boot, not drunk driving, wearing no underwear, rehab, child custody, more rehab....the list goes on. It would be great to see the Pats win and finally shut up the Dolphins. Plus, I gotta admit, I kinda like Bill Belichick. The hooded sweatshirt on the sidelines is the way to go.

So with those storylines being the background for my predictions here are 5 predictions sure to happen in the Super Bowl.
1. Tom Brady to Randy Moss....not once, but twice in the end zone for the Pats.
2. Initially, the Patriots have trouble stopping Brandon Jacobs. He will pile up like 75 yards in the first half. But the second half belongs to the Pats D. Forcing Fumbles, Interceptions, and chaos all over the field.
3. All the women at the Super Bowl party who actually are wondering why Peyton is now on the Giants, bring up the good looks of Tom Brady at least 5 times per half. That leads to a commentary about how skinny Gisele is and how she really is a skank.
4. First Player to score a touchdown: Laurence Maroney.
5. Final Score: Pats 31 G-men 20
The Giants are only down 3 at half, and then the Pats open a can of Belichek's speciality: Whoopin!

Who else is pumped for Tom Petty at halftime? YES!!! A few themes songs for the Pats/Giants as sung by TP:
"American Girl:" A Song about Eli Manning
"Breakdown:" A song about Tiki Barber now that the Giants are better without him
"Free Fallin:" Eli Manning's career after this game

"Mary Jane's Last Dance:" A song about Randy Moss and his extracurricular activities
"You Don't Know How it Feels:" A song all the Pats will be singing to the Giants after they host their 4th Trophy

Post your Tom Petty Super Bowl Correlations and I will be sure to publish the top 5 after the Super Bowl is over. The winner gets absolutely nothing except free Super Bowl picks next year too!

Pics:
Eil: nydailynews.com
Bill: msnbc.com
Tom: Tompetty.com

Gift Receipt Please... by Chi-town TOE

Ladies and Gentlemen, I trust you had a wonderful holiday season. Now that the holidays are over and the gifts have been unwrapped, it is time for a holiday tradition. I am not talking about taking down the outside lights before the 4th of July, or drinking all the Egg Nog in the fridge before the expiration date runs out. What I am talking about is returning all the crappy gifts people gave you. The ugly sweater, the 22nd Christmas tie, or the candle that burns your nostrils....a pungent odor. So why not return a few crappy sports "gifts" that we have been blessed with. I hope these gifts came with a few gift receipts, because I could use an upgrade.

1. I have numerous Bulls gifts to return.
a. John Paxson. Seriously John, my man crush of 1993 has completely vanished. Horrible draft decisions, your policy of thinking Luol Deng and Michael Jordan are equal, your no-trade clauses, and your firing of Scott Skiles makes me want to return you. "Hey, I passed on KG and Kobe, traded Tyson Chandler, signed the dreadful Capt. Kirk Hinrich to an extension, and blamed my coach for it all. " (By the way, since when was it acceptable in society to fire a coach because he was too hard on players. This isn't 2nd grade church league, although with Ben Gordon's defense it might seem like it, this is the NBA!!)
b. Tyrus Thomas- Pop Quiz: Which player would you want for your team?
Choice A: Averages 18+ a game.
Choice B: Rookie of the Year in 2007.
Choice C: Throws down 2 sick YouTube dunks and sits on the bench the rest of the year because his jump shots is worse than your grandma's.
If you picked choice A, Lamarcus Aldrige, or Choice B, Brandon Roy, you are obviously smarter than Bulls management.
c. Ben Wallace- This guy just sucks. I actually miss Luc Longley.

2. Take back Cedric Benson. What an awesome #4 pick in the draft. He is so motivated and hits the holes so hard. At least he stays healthy the whole year. HAH!! Is Bears management trying to outdo Johnny Pax? (Bears fans, you may ask why I am not returning Rex Grossman. A fair question, but lets be honest I returned him after Christmas in 04.)

3. Whoever that crappy Illinois receiver was who fumbled the ball when the ILLINI were 5 yards from closing the gap to 21-17 in the third quarter of the Rose Bowl.

4. Roger Clemens' Awards. How the mighty have fallen. Heck, I like the guy and love watching him pitch. However, we should have seen something was afoot when each of his quads were all muscle and bigger than my waist after the age of 40.

5. The BCS! Thank you for this beautiful system that sorts out all the confusion and gives us such meaningful games. I was so excited to watch my favorite sport culminate in the beautiful blowouts on New Years Day and the excitement of, hold your breath now, Kansas vs. Va Tech in the Orange Bowl. Speaking of Bowl Games, does anybody else find it completely unfair that all Midwest teams have to play their bowl games essentially on the road? How come the Rose Bowl is always in USC's back yard. Have those West Coast nancies play every other year at Soldier Field and see how Pete Carroll, Snoop Dogg, Will Ferrell, and OJ adjust to real man's weather. "Congratulations Ohio St. You have won a trip to the National Championship. You will play at a neutral cite.....New Orleans! Please ignore the 89% of fans in yellow and blue." What a crock! WE WANT A PLAYOFF!

6. The 72 Dolphins. I really don't dislike them at all or love the 2007 Pats, but do think it is hilarious that they can't all sit together and pop the champagne this year. By the way, the 85 Bears were better anyways.


The holidays weren't all bad. I got some sweet gifts as well. I am not taking back Guitar Hero, Fukudome, or the Irish recruiting class. Those are some gifts I gladly accept and already have me looking forward to a grand 2008. Lets hope the 100th anniversary of the Cubs World Series win brings us Cub fans luck for the new year.


Pics:
Tyrus Thomas: www.nba.com
Clemens: www.art.com