Sports In America; God Bless The USA!

Forgive me for reposting this article, but with a brother overseas serving in the military and a long history of loving this country, I will always bleed red, white and blue! As such, I love finding reasons to wave the flag. With that in mind, I repost the following article and remind you this is the greatest country on Earth!

Repost:

As the fourth of July approached, I began my yearly assault on YouTube to find my favorite versions of the National Anthem, God Bless America, and many other patriotic songs and tributes.

Some of my favorites are patriotic songs set to edited tribute videos of flags, soldiers, etc. However, the majority of my favorite versions have been sung at stadiums across the country during major sporting events such as the Superbowl and NBA All-Star game.

The following is a list of my top five favorite patriotic videos...

Righteous Judgement

If you read the Bible, no where does it say you are forbidden to judge other people. It does, however, tell you to judge righteously.

As a sports writer, judging the performance of players and coaches comes with the job description. My whole job is predicated on the freedom to judge every angle of a sporting event. Hell (don't judge me), but when I attend a game, I'm gonna judge the quality of the concessions and ease of parking.

For this particular article though, I'm going to provide judgement to the hottest topic in sports right now: Tim Tebow.

To do so, I'm going to follow the counsel of the good book and judge him righteously...

How Good Is BYU Quarterback Riley Nelson?

And the comeback is complete!

It's interesting how your night can change with one phone call. One second you are on the way to babysit for a friend and the next you are walking into Lavell Edwards Stadium with that same friend.

I hadn't been to a BYU game for a few years, so when my friend called and told me his wife wasn't feeling well and I would be joining him at the game, instead of babysitting for him, I was more than happy for the change.

I hope my friend's wife is feeling better, but thank heaven's she was sick last night, because that was one of the best game's I have ever been to! 

What If The Yankees Let The Rays Win Tonight?!

The Boston Red Sox sure didn't draw it up this way at the beginning of the season, but here we are on the last day of the season and the Red Sox are tied with the Tampa Bay Rays for the wild card spot in this year's playoffs.

Boston takes on the Baltimore Orioles tonight, while Tampa goes up against the New York Yankees, who have already secured their post season spot.

Imagine that. Boston will actually be cheering for the Yankees to win tonight, which begs the question...

Do the Yankees let the Rays win just to help keep the Sox out of the playoffs?

More Yankee Arrogance

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So Brian Cashman says he publicly courted Carl Crawford last season with the sole purpose of making the Red Sox pay more to secure the free agent outfielder.

Is this a good strategy? Yes.

Has it happened before? Yes.

Do I believe Cashman? Absolutely not.

Conference Expansion; A Sickening Trend

Hurray, Hurray, the Pac-12 decided against tearing what's left of the Big 12 to threads and expanding to 16 teams. We've all been saved from college football expansion overload.

Wrong.

The college football landscape is still very unsettled and extremely volatile. Yes, the Big 12 is safe for another day. That's about it.

I'm convinced aggressive conference expansion will continue until it rips apart the college football scene. While this sounds very negative, which it mostly is, there are still some positives to alongside those greedy negatives...

The 5 Worst College Football Uniforms

After watching the opening weekend of college football and seeing Maryland's new uniforms, I began thinking about other schools with terrible uniforms.

While the Terrapins new uniforms (and i use that term loosely) are far and away the worst thing I have ever seen, there are a few other teams who jog onto the field each Saturday looking pretty disgraceful.

Without further ado, I give the you the five worst uniforms in college football...

Eli Manning; The NFL's most overrated QB

OVER-RATED! Clap, clap, clap-clap-clap!

Coming out of Ole Miss, Eli Manning was drafted number one overall by the San Diego Chargers but was quickly traded to the New York Giants after saying he would never play for San Diego and all but demanded the trade.

The rumor was he wanted to go to New York to take greater advantage of endorsements in the country's biggest city, hoping to capitalize on his already famous last name. Manning has since managed to win a Super Bowl, "earn" millions, and make a trip to the Pro Bowl.

And thus begun the poor decision making of Eli Manning.

All of this has lead him to believe he's actually a great QB, culminating recently in his own delusional claims of being on the same level as Tom Brady.

At this point it's clear Eli Manning is the most overrated Quarterback in the NFL...

College Football 2011; 5 Surprising Predictions

Last season the Auburn Tigers entered the season ranked 23rd in the polls and ended up winning the National Championship. Somewhere, outside of Auburn, someone boldly predicted this would happen.

Additionally, someone else probably predicted Cam Newton, a JUCO transfer, would win the Heisman Trophy last season.

Now I'm not going to say the 23rd ranked team in this year's polls, Florida, is going to win the Crystal Ball this year (which as a Gators' fan would be awesome by the way), or that Rahsaan Vaughn of Oregon is going to win the Heisman trophy this year.

No, but I will make a few other surprising predictions for this upcoming college football season...

Best and Worst NFL Uniforms

Which side of the list is Miami on?

When the lockout ended, we saw a frenzy of free agent signings. Many outlets have posted their "winners and losers" articles on which teams did the best at adding these free agents.

With most of the free agents signed, it's off to training camp to prepare for the start of the season. Thursday was the first day free agents were allowed to don their new uniforms and begin practicing with their new teams.

After reviewing all 32 NFL teams, I have made my own list based on the best and worst uniforms those free agents will be wearing.

Lets start with the 5 best...

Coming soon on Simply Sports...

There are a lot of good stories in sports to comment on. Each item deserves its' own article, which gives me a lot to write about! I've been a little absent from writing for a while, but I'm geared back up and read to crank out some good stuff.

If you have anything you would like to hear about, send your article ideas to Jsdoxey@hotmail.com and I'll do my best to write something that matches.

In the meantime, expect the following shortly...

Enjoying the Tour de France

With the absence of Lance Armstrong, as well as a major doping problem, I wasn't expecting much from this year's Tour. However, it has been can't miss TV through the first 10 stages.

Granted, I'm a cyclist, nonetheless, I've enjoyed the Tour for so many reasons, many of which go unnoticed by the casual observer.

I watched a stage with my roommate, who asked a variety of questions about cycling procedure and protocol. After answering his questions as best I could, I could see he began to appreciate the sport more.

That conversation got me thinking about the aspects of cycling the average observer is missing. So, here are a few things to look for to help you enjoy the Tour de France…

Jeter, Tragedy in Texas and The Tour de France

I was a little lazy in blogging this week, which is too bad, because there were some very interesting things that happened in the world of sports. Some weeks are filled with typical story lines and nothing too out of the ordinary. This was not one of those weeks.

While I hate the Yankees, watching Derek Jeter chase his 3,000 hit was surprisingly captivating. On a more somber note, a man falling to his death at a ballpark in Texas was a sad reminder of the frailty of life. And finally, if only people understood what they were watching in the Tour de France, it would be must see TV across America.

While more than just these three things happened, I found each of the following stories to be most worthy of a write up...

My five favorite patriotic sports moments

As the fourth of July approached, I began my yearly assault on YouTube to find my favorite versions of the National Anthem, God Bless America, and many other patriotic songs and tributes.

Some of my favorites are patriotic songs set to edited tribute videos of flags, soldiers, etc. However, the majority of my favorite versions have been sung at stadiums across the country during major sporting events such as the Superbowl and NBA All-Star game.

The following is a list of my top five favorite patriotic videos...

6 reasons the Mariners will contend soon

Before the season began, I had the usual conversation with my friend about how we thought the Mariner's would do this season.

The M's were coming off a poor season, had made zero significant acquisitions in the off season, and the other teams in the AL West had gotten stronger. With that in mind, I declared it would be a successful season if the Mariner's won 70 games.

Given these expectations, I have been reasonably surprised with Seattle's near five hundred record this late into the season. However, amidst a 3-game losing streak, the M's are starting to look more like the team I expected them to be.

This does not mean there is not hope for the future. Here are six reasons to be optimistic about the future if you are a Mariner's fan...

Jimmer Fredette: The new "King" James

The Sacramento Kings are facing a crisis which might result in the team relocating to Anaheim. The city needs serious help to save their team. Unfortunately, the local government probably won't be able to save the Kings. 

Sacramento can't depend on a democracy, they need a dictatorship. They need a King.

To Sacramento fans, I say, in this election year, change is coming. A new King is headed your way.

Noah saved the planet with an Ark, King James is on his way to save Arco from beyond the arc.

In Provo, UT, he is revered reverently as The Jimmer...

Bradley makes changes; USA in Gold Cup final

US soccer is looking a lot better these days. Coach Bob Bradley is finally making better decisions.

Moving to a 4-5-1 formation, using Clint Dempsey as an attacking midfielder, has been brilliant. I've always felt the way to cover up our weakness at forward, was to overload our midfield with attacking players, creating strength in numbers.

Jermaine Jones, Alehandro Bedoya and Sasha Klestian are working well together with Michael Bradley in the middle and Clint Dempsey attacking at the top.

Bradley used Freddy Adu, yes that Freddy Adu, who made an immediate impact in Wednesday's 1-0 victory over Panama. He isn't always beautiful, but he is constantly in attack mode. Adu adds creativity to our team that we normally lack. I have always liked his mindset, even if his skill set doesn't always back it up.

There is still work to be done, but these adjustments on the fly are proving very effective…

Who will draft Jimmer? Part II

It happens every year. A player is projected to be drafted in one spot and then climbs 10 spots over night.

Did he get any better? No. Did he have an amazing last minute work out? No. Did he suddenly grow taller, jump higher or learn to shoot better? No.

Obviously, it's none of these things. Instead, teams become enamored with a player and fear some other team in front of them will draft a player they think will be the hidden gem of the draft. So, they trade picks and move up to draft the player higher than expected.

This year's benefit of last minute trade talk and paranoia? Jimmer Fredette..

Rory McIlroy: The next Tiger?

When Rory McIlroy choked away a 63 hole lead at Augusta in April, I felt incredibly bad for the young golfer and wondered if he'd ever be able to overcome one of the biggest meltdowns in major golf history.

After this weekend's US Open, I no longer feel bad for McIlroy. The 22-year-old kid from Northern Ireland responded to a historic collapse at the Masters with a historic win at Congressional this weekend.

From one of the the worst collapses ever to the largest Open win ever. Talk about going from extreme to the other.

The easy angle here would be to talk about how Rory is the next Tiger. Lets not get ahead of ourselves. No, instead, Rory is what Tiger should have been…

US Soccer on shaky ground in the Gold Cup

Following a lackluster 1-0 victory against Guadeloupe, the US Men's Soccer team has advanced to the elimination rounds of the Gold Cup... Barely. 

The odds on favorite to win the tournament, the US didn't even advance first out of their own group. The games they did win, the team looked disinterested once they owned a lead. 

That being said, the US did advance and will take on Jamaica this Sunday. However, advancing out of the group stage isn't something the Americans should celebrate. Not in a region as weak as CONCACAF, which fields teams like Guadeloupe who FIFA doesn't even recognize as an independent nation.

So, while I was tough on Bob Bradley following the US's 4-0 loss to Spain, I'm not willing to completely pull back my criticisms of a coach who has left many question marks hanging over his own head...

Behind Enemy Lines: Visiting Yankee Stadium

I hate the Yankees. So it's hard to say anything positive about my first experience at Yankee stadium. I'm a realist though and try to see each situation for what it is, regardless of my own bias. So as I walked into Yankee stadium on Tuesday to watch a Sox-Yankees game, I tried to check my hatred at the door and take in the experience as a neutral observer.

When I say neutral, I mean almost neutral; I wore a bright red Red Sox t-shirt and cheered for the Sox the entire game. I was very happy the Sox won 6-4 in a game in which Jon Lester got the W and Papelbon got the save (both are on my fantasy team).

By the time I left, I still hated the Yankees, but left with mostly positive impressions from my three and a half hour experience. Here are those impressions, in no particular order…

Visiting Fenway: Baseball's best stadium

In the eighties the Seattle Mariners were terrible. So, despite growing up near Seattle, I was a Red Sox fan. I watched every Sox game I could find on TV, checked their box scores daily in the paper, had Sox pennants, coffee mugs, posters and other memorabilia throughout my room.

Basically, I was a pretty good Sox fan before becoming a Mariner's fan in 1995. With that in mind, last Friday, I crossed off an item on my bucket by attending a Red Sox game at Fenway Park. And I fell in love.

Bob Bradley owes me money

If you don't follow soccer, the USA played Spain on Saturday in Foxboro, MA. Following a 7-hour flight from Utah and a 25 mile drive from Boston, I was in attendance.

***HISTORY LESSON:

Spain won the World Cup last year and boasts one of the deeper and more talented rosters in recent memory. Two years ago, the Americans pulled off a shocking 2-0 upset of Spain, ending Spain's record unbeaten streak of 35 straight games, including 15 consecutive victories.

With that upset in mind, Spain brought their best squad, minus a few injuries, and many thought they'd be out for revenge. On the flip side, US supporters viewed this as an opportunity to prove the 2-0 win wasn't a fluke and that US soccer is for real.

After watching the game, I came to the following conclusion: Head Coach Bob Bradley owes me money.

Paying college football players

For years, Jim Tressel was an example of so many things you wanted out of college coach. He was humble, modest in victory, gracious in defeat, displayed character and integrity, and refused to give in to the pressures to change his style of coaching… Or so we thought.

Day by day we learn more about a slew of cover ups to go with a laundry list of violations which appear to have been going on from years. Yes, Jim Tressel's fall from grace over the past several months has been a sad story for all of us to watch.

It's sad for two reasons:

MJ looking up at Lebron?

Scottie Pippen recently compared Lebron James to Michael Jordan, going as far as saying Lebron might be a better player. Yes, that Scottie Pippen. He of six championship rings thanks to MJ.

We've heard Kobe Bryant compared to Jordan, but this is the first time I can recall someone comparing Lebron to Jordan. I suppose it had to happen sometime, but coming from Pippen, wow, that's quite the entrance into the "he's as good as MJ" debate.

I had two initial reactions when I heard Pippen's comments: Kobe is getting older, so someone new had to be compared to Jordan, and I like the way Lebron didn't entirely dismiss the notion, the way Kobe has done. I actually had three reactions, if you count me questioning whether or not Pippen was sober when he made the comments.

Girls or sports?

I recently started dating a great girl who likes playing sports and attending games, but, like many girls, doesn't enjoy watching on TV as much as I do. We aren't the first couple with differing views on this subject, which reminds me of the movies Fever Pitch and Good Will Hunting, and the different approaches men have taken in this matter.

In Fever Pitch, Jimmy Fallon plays an obsessive Red Sox fan with season tickets, who never misses a game, even when offered a free trip to Paris with his girlfriend, Drew Barrymore. His fanaticism causes a rift in their relationship until Barrymore relents to his obsessive nature and decides to love him regardless of whether he changes or not.

Also playing a Red Sox fan, in Good Will Hunting, Robin Williams has a ticket to game 6 of the 1975 World Series in Boston, the game Carlton Fisk waved his home run fair to win one of the most dramatic games in Red Sox history. However, Williams meets a girl in a bar before the game and gives up his ticket to "see about a girl" he ultimately falls in love with and marries.

If you find yourself in a similar situation, I created a short test to help you figure out how your relationship might end up..

Can Mike Brown lead the Lakers to a title?

I'll admit, as a Lakers fan, I'm not overly excited by this hiring, although, I'm not disappointed either. Sure, there were some sexier names the team could have hired, Rick Adeleman, and possibly more exciting ones as well, Jeff Van Gundy, but they also could have done much worse, Mike Dunleavy, or gone with Brian Shaw, who has no experience.

As the news of this hiring washes over me, I feel reticent.

In my reticence, a few thoughts and questions have popped into my mind about how Brown will fit as the Lakers next head coach...

What to think of Lance Armstrong

 "It was the best of times, it was the worst of times." 

The opening words to A Tale of Two Cities are perfectly analogous to the tale of the two very different lives of Lance Armstrong. Lance, the hero, who has inspired millions in their fight against cancer and Lance, the alleged cheater, who beat the system and has fooled everyone.

I'm torn. I'm torn on what to feel about recent allegations of Lance Armstrong's alleged drug use. I'm torn for two reasons...

The Mariners should trade Ichiro

It's actually a better idea than you think. The more people I talk to, the more I realize this is something most Mariner's fans know needs to happen this year. It's been building for a few years, but now, more than ever, it's a move the Mariner's front office needs to make.

Ichiro has given Seattle fans 10 straight Gold Gloves, several Silver Slugger awards, one MVP and countless clutch hits and great throws from the outfield. Now it's time for him to give Seattle one last assist; a chance at success in the future.

So who are the potential suitors for Ichiro?

Who will draft Jimmer?

Everybody in Provo, Utah knows Jimmer Fredette should be drafted number one overall, however, I have a sneaky feeling bias might play a small role in that view and NBA teams might have a different opinion. So for now, Jimmer is safe from having to move to Cleveland.

Last night's draft lottery yielded a few surprises in Jimmer's favor, meaning it's time to begin guessing who will draft college basketball's reigning player of the year. However, projecting who will draft the Jimmer is about as easy as guarding him.

Jimmer's draft stock was helped tremendously by the decisions of several elite college players who decided to return to school, most notably Jared Sullinger, Perry Jones, Harrison Barnes and Terrence Jones. All four were projected as lottery picks and in the case of the first three, the upper end of the lottery.

Staying in school removes four players who would have almost certainly been drafted ahead of Fredette moving Jimmer into the discussion as a lottery pick. 

After the ping pong balls fell last night, I see three teams who are most likely to draft Jimmer:

What the Yankees struggles would mean in a perfect world

In a perfect world, this would be the beginning of the end. The Steinbrenner boys would possess no more than a shadow of their father's ability to sign top-end free agents in the off season, Derek Jeter would age 10 years overnight, and the veterans would get hurt egos, causing turmoil in the Bronx every time a starter needs a day off to mentally prepare for his new position in the batting order. Oh wait.

UPDATE: Maybe the world is perfect as all three of these things have happened, with the latter coming to fruition this past weekend.

Ahead of Saturday's game against Boston, veteran catcher, and team leader, Jorge Posada was dropped to 9th in the batting order as a result of his struggles at the plate this season. Manager Joe Girardi wrote Posada's name down on the lineup card, yet an hour before the game Posada asked to be removed from the lineup to have time to mentally prepare to hit at the bottom of the lineup.

Mentally prepare to hit at the bottom of the lineup? Really?

A few words of advice to Jorge:

Tragedy at the Giro d'Italia; A wake up call for all cyclists

For those of you who don't dress up in spandex shorts and jerseys when you ride a bike, you may have missed a sad cycling story out of Italy this past Monday. During the Giro d'Italia, Italy's premiere stage race, young Belgian rider Wouter Weylandt, 26, lost control of his bike while descending from a steep mountain pass and ultimately lost his life after sustaining massive head injuries.

You may not think of cycling as a sport of fatal crashes, but the truth is, at the speeds these guys are going, it's fortunate accidents like this don't occur more frequently. Weylandt's death is the first death at the Giro since 1986. One sports publication reported Weylandt crashed going speeds "only a car can normally reach."

Accidents, like this one, are caused by a few different problems.

What's next for the Lakers?

A lot of things didn't happen this season for the Lakers and their fans. Phil Jackson didn't get his 12th ring. Kobe didn't get his 6th. The Lakers didn't accomplish their second three-peat in a decade and the team's fans are still trying to figure out who the heck is J.J. Barea?!

LA started the year as favorites to win the title for a third straight year. While not everyone thought the Lakers would three-peat, not even the worst Lakers hater could have predicted a second round sweep at the hands of Dallas. The Mavs have folded in the playoffs for years, which makes their broom job of the champs all the crazier.

The Lakers head into the off season with tremendous uncertainty about next year's team. Will they trade Andrew Bynum? Is Kobe getting too old? Who is available via trade and free agency? These questions, and more, need to be answered by team owner Jerry Bus and GM Mitch Kupcheck.

The Lakers also have a few bad contracts to deal with. Derek Fisher is under contract until 2013, as is Luke Walton. Ron Artest is on the books until 2014. In addition to some bad contracts, the team has no young players who will contribute in the next few years and zero first round draft picks in the 2011 draft.

So where does this leave the Lakers, and what improvements CAN the team make?

Here are three options, in no particular order, the team might consider…

Rule changes Soccer needs to make

If you pay attention to European soccer, you've undoubtedly noticed the dominance of FC Barcelona this year. Four times, in a period of just over two weeks, they played rival Real Madrid in a display of elite soccer. For the most part, these games were phenomenal. However, for all the positives these games offered, it was a few of the negatives that stuck out the most.

Whining, stalling, complaining, diving, botched calls and poor cards, prompted me to propose a few rule changes FIFA (soccer's governing body) needs to implement to improve the game and increase its' appeal to non-soccer zealots around the world. In addition to a few ideas which have been floating around for a while, I offer several new ideas which, if properly implemented, will improve the flow of games, decrease fan violence, and increase the integrity of the product on the field.

With that in mind, I offer the following 5 suggestions. I realize not all of these suggestions are realistic, but sometimes it's a little more fun to think outside of the box...

Great Sports Interviews and Meltdowns

Last week, I wrote an article about Ron Artest winning this year's NBA service award. As a part of that article, I included a video of Artest, memorably, thanking his psychiatrist during a post-game interview just after the Lakers had won the NBA title.

After posting the article, a friend got a hold of me to tell me he enjoyed the article and thought it would be a good idea to put a piece together of the most classic sports rants, raves, meltdowns and memorable interviews.

Sports is filled with tons of characters, both good and bad, who say some pretty off-the-wall and extremely memorable things. Fortunately, for us, during these moments, cameras have been there to capture the magic.

I submit for your entertainment, a list, in no particular order, of my 10 favorite all-time sports characters and their "best" moments:

Jake Locker: Great guy, scary draft pick

Growing up in the Seattle area, I realize what I'm about to say is considered football blaspheme by many in the Emerald City, but before I talk about Jake Locker the football player, let me comment on Jake Locker the human being.

I've never met the guy, but everything I hear is he is as upstanding of a young man as you can imagine. I'm talking about the kind of reputation that makes you want your daughter to bring someone like this home.

On that subject, I talked with a friend whose sister dated Locker for a period of time. She told me Jake treated her sister perfectly. A total class act.

Ron Artest wins NBA service award... Seriously

On Tuesday, the NBA announced Ron Artest as the winner of the 2010-2011 J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award for outstanding service, by a coach or player, off the basketball court. This is not a misprint. If you haven't paid attention to Ron Ron in recent years, he has come along way since his participation in the brawl in Detroit. The award represents the final degree of the full circle Artest has made in his life over the past few years.

Following the brawl in Detroit, Artest was suspended for the rest of the season, 73 games, and viewed as the league's ultimate bad boy, and deservedly so. However, the brawl may have been the seminal moment in his life, as it forced him to seek counseling and address the mental issues which had followed him his entire life.

Common NFL Draft mistakes

During his junior season at Arizona State, Terrell Suggs set an NCAA record with 24 sacks. Suggs was set to be a top pick in the 2003 NFL draft until he ran a 4.84 in the 40 yard dash at the draft combine. Suggs was an All-American in college, yet a slow 40 time seriously threatened his draft stock. Despite worries about his speed, the Baltimore Ravens selected Suggs with the 10th overall pick. When asked about Suggs' 40 time, a Ravens' official responded, "If our linebackers have to run 40 yards to make a tackle, we have bigger problems." Suggs was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2003 and has played at an All-Pro level since, while Baltimore consistently stays competitive due to intelligent drafting.

The NFL draft gets under way this Thursday, when day one of the three day draft is held in New York, and is sure to be full of moments similar to the one Suggs and the Ravens experienced back in 2003.

In past years, teams entered the draft having filled holes via free agency and had subsequently narrowed their list of needs, allowing them to focus on specific players in the draft. However, due to ongoing labor disputes, this weekend's draft puts teams at the disadvantage of drafting prior to free agency. Consequently, it's unclear which players will be drafted in what order when the draft begins.

What is clear, is this draft will be filled with a few of the same mistakes teams make year in and year out.

Here are a few observations I have made in year's past:

Soccer in the USA

I submit, for your consideration, an article I wrote during the World Cup last summer....

Watching the USA's exit from the World Cup yesterday left me frustrated and, like many USA soccer fans, I have been searching for reasons why we didn't advance further, as well as things we could do to improve our chances in the future.

Imagine how great the USA would be if we had our best athletes playing soccer instead of baseball, basketball or football. The countries we compete against use their countries' best athletes to compete. We don't, which got me thinking of the type of players the USA would have were we to use OUR best athletes.

I realize these exact players may not translate, but give a top athlete a lifetime of playing soccer to hone his school and shape his body, and I'm sure there are some athletes in other sports who could elevate the talent level of US soccer. Here is a short list:

What an opening weekend!

Hold on here, let my pulse slow down before I begin discussing what I saw this weekend. In my previous article I broke down each of team in the NBA playoffs and compared each to a Hollywood movie based on the team's talent, star power and, mainly, chances of winning the title this year.

Well, I wasn't too far of on the Hollywood comparison as the opening weekend was filled with tons of action, drama and unpredictable outcomes. Having watched the second half of six of eight games, and parts of all the games, I'm willing to go as far as saying the opening weekend of the NBA playoffs was the best I have ever watched.

What makes something "the best"? In this case: Upsets, close games, and star performances.

The facts:

The NBA Playoffs, Hollywood style

The NBA regular season is over and now we are at the part of the season everyone has been waiting for, the playoffs. 30 teams started the season, 16 of them are still playing, and in a two months time, one will be crowned the 2011 NBA Champion.

The playoffs are very similar to Hollywood in that some movies you know are going to be good, some surprise you and many end up as flops. With that in mind, here is a quick breakdown of each team, placed into one of three movie divisions: A Few Good Men (favorites), Armageddon (dark horses), Under Siege (No Shot)….

A Few Good Men (Great movie, great lines, star power, great supporting cast, lots of awards)

My purpose for creating this blog

Have you ever tuned in to watch something like PTI or Around the Horn and listened to the talking heads give an opinion on something and you say to yourself, or whoever is sitting next to you, "Are you kidding me? I could do a better job than this guy!"? If you are like me, you have shouted at TV screens, Radio stations and web articles for years, but have done nothing about. Enter Doxology 101.

In the coming weeks and months, I will be posting my thoughts and opinions on the popular issues in sports. I will be talking about the same things you hear elsewhere, only I will attempt to provide a different view or angle I feel has been missed by mainstream media outlets. Also, my goal is to provide a consistent and honest opinion about what is going on in the world of sports.

One of the main issues I take with sports broadcasters is the way they flip-flop opinions about who the top teams are, which player is on the rise, etc. It's time to take a step back and stop overreacting to one bad performance or one bad week of games. Too often, teams are crowned after one solid performance or are conversely condemned after one subpar performance. It is my goal to provide you the truth, unaltered and unbiased, about sports.