Supreme Court Back In Session – Sports Round Table

By Guest Blogger John Manuel:

Supreme Court is back in session.  Justices have taken their seats and are ready to tackle today’s sports issues.  Here are the justices again.

The Matzie
Bob
Vic Vinegar
Gib
Stinger

Question 1:
Were you tired of the Melo trade talks and is the NBA getting ridiculous with all the players heading to 3 or 4 teams in the future?

The Matzie- Glad that the Melo drama is finished? Yes. Although, I think that Denver should have made this deal 6 months ago. I guess they were hoping for a change of heart. Melo and his not so beautiful bride always had an Empire State of mind. Denver was stuck and they got the best deal possible. Some decent prospects instead of nothing come summertime. As for the unbalance of power in the league? I’m all for it. It gives great publicity to the league and makes those teams interesting to watch. Which, I can’t say about the rest of the teams or the NBA as a whole. The solution, smaller market teams and those with only the power to star gaze are welcome to learn how to draft. Just ask San Antonio.

Bob-Absolutely, not. I love hearing the sound bites from Net’s Owner Mikhail Prokhorov in his best Dolph Lundgren voice, ”It was a fantastic meeting, trust me. No words, live music, excellent atmosphere. We looked into each other’s eyes. Just real man talk.” Safe to say, the new star of the NBA is indeed Mr. Prokhorov. Only a matter of time before he brings in some huge Russian cyborg to patrol the paint in the swamp.

Vic-Like most situations, Egyptian unrest and the wrongful, hateful persecution of Lindsay Lohan for example, I blame the media. The phenomenon of some big time player being disgruntled in the final year of his contract and wanting to move to a better situation is nothing new. What is new though is the manner in which agents and players use the media to communicate their messages. The media (ESPN in particular) are a bunch of suckers that treat this as “news” 24/7, and allow the players to save face (except for LeBron). I’m not a huge NBA guy, but the notion of too many teams being able to truly create “super teams” seems pretty unlikely with a salary cap system in place. We’re dealing with massive egos, and the list of guys of will truly take a backseat (and less money) to win a championship is a lot shorter than one would think.

Gib-Tired?  It’s always refreshing when little old Gotham lands a free agent.  Really, after missing out on free agent LeBron James and Cliff Lee recently on the baseball side of things, New York was beginning to feel like a city that actually had to compete on a level playing field in the NBA and MLB.  As for NBA players buddying up – I think LeBron forced the issue when he formed his own super group in Miami, now everyone else feels they have to do the same to compete.  This is a bad business model and the NBA needs to find a way to reduce this trend.

Stinger-It got old and it was great to see the Knicks get smoked on the trade.  Denver loses a top player but added a lot of pieces.  All the best to La La on her career now in NYC!  I had no issue with Melo the past month but I think my real issue is I hate the Knicks.  Actually I hate all New York teams.  Next up is Chris Paul or Dwight Howard to NY next season.  The Olympics crushed David Sterns NBA or did it?  Is this really bad for him?  As a Wizards fan, do we start shopping John Wall in the off season since we’re not LA, NY, Miami or Chicago?  Many questions to be answered about many players with crazy tattoos.

Question 2:

Where will Cam Newton go in the draft?

The Matzie- Cam Newton…..is a special talent. The type of player that is worthy of #1 pick status and money. However, the Panthers are stuck on Jimmy Clausen like Jim Carrey was Stuck On You.  They will draft Nick Fairley, who will be a great player but I don’t like the off the field wildness. That character trait just doesn’t seem to work in the NFL. Even if he does pan out, he is not the elite type of player that a franchise gets the opportunity to draft once a decade. Buffalo will relish this same opportunity and he will thrive in a young and soon to be up and coming team. You see Buffalo doesn’t understand everything but they know one of the most important rules. This IS a quarterback driven league. And neither Jimmy Clausen or Ryan Fitzpatrick is cutting it.

Bob- Not sure where, but a lot higher than people think. Michael Vick proved for the time being that an athletic QB can indeed make it in the NFL.  If McDaniels was still coach, I’d imagine he’d be drooling of the idea of pairing him and Tebow in the same backfield. Alas, not to be, but maybe McDaniels can convince the St. Louis Rams that they need him more than Sam Bradford. The man has the midas touch.

Vic-Me thinks that “Cameron the Entertainer” make a big blunder this week by touting his ambitions to become a multi media icon before he’s played a down in the league. Not sure where such bad judgment comes from (wait…stolen computer, academic dishonesty, daddy agent, etc…), but he’s setting himself up as Jemarcus 2.0 (minus the Drank problems). Have you ever had the Drank? I knew a guy my freshman year who drank a bottle of Robo and ended up in Leland hospital with a huge gas bubble in his belly instead of the mind enlightening experience he read about in “High Times”. Newton may have some pretty sick athletic talent, but the last 10 years are littered with QB’s who put up huge numbers in college but were just too stupid (see no common sense) to succeed at the next level. All that being said, I hope the Redskins draft him. Better yet, I hope they trade a bunch of picks to move up to get him. Then I will just sit back and watch the Snyder carnage continue for another several years…giggling.

Gib-Cam Newton is destined to be drafted higher than he should.  Too many teams have struck gold in the first round in the last few years – most recently the Rams with Sam Bradford – that there probably is a false sense of security settling in.  Still, Newton hasn’t played much football, and when he did, it was out of the gimmicky spread offense.  Plus, there is huge knucklehead potential here – he may see himself as “an entertainer and an icon” but I think he’s lucky he wasn’t declared ineligible by the NCAA this past season and he appears to be pretty immature.  So, which NFL team would draft a not-ready-for-primetime quarterback from Auburn and take him way too early?  That move sounds like it could be right in Dan Snyder’s wheelhouse.

Stinger- Cam Newton will end up the #1 pick by Carolina.  Dad Newton will use all his recruiting cash to hype Cam up so much the Carolina Panthers can’t pass him up.  It happens every year this time.  Teams get nervous taking a defensive player #1 overall and the QB’s rise.  Plus I last saw Todd McShay had him going 10^th so that means he will go 1 or 3 at the latest.  I would believe a mock draft by “The Situation” or Bieber before McShay.  I just don’t see anyone else going #1 overall.

Question 3:
Who is your early call for the World Series?

The Matzie- This is easy. The Phillies are the lone horse in this race and they are going to win by more than a nose. They have the best pitching rotation in the history of baseball. You are looking at FOUR # 1 pitchers on one staff. How are you going to beat Hamels, Holliday, and Lee with Oswalt pitching the 7 and 8th of every other game? It’s not happening. Now look at the Phillies lineup and you will see that there’s no chance and it’s really an unfair race. I’d be crying too….if I wasn’t a lifelong Phillies fan. Go Phils!

Bob-Orioles. Why? I say, Why Not?

Vic- How can you not pick the Phillies? Pitching wins championships, and the Phils have arguably assembled the best starting rotation in the last 20 years. Tell me that the O’s wouldn’t love to have Cole Hammels at the front of their rotation. Guess what? Cole Hammels is the FOURTH best pitcher on that staff. Couple that with an offense loaded with big bats, and you have a team that can beat you a bunch of ways. Assuming they can stay away from a bunch of injuries, I’d have to say they are the clear cut early pick to win it all.

Gib-Pitching wins championships and you can’t get much better than the staff in Philadelphia – I’ll take the Phillies.

Stinger-It crushes me to say but it has to be Boston and Philadelphia.  The Red Sox have the American league’s best staff and lineup and the Phillies have the best staff in a long time and probably the Nationals best lineup.  Praying for injuries.  Vince Coleman tarp remover type injuries for both.  I am really hoping for a demise of the Yankees this season.  Did you see the pics of Cameron Diaz on the beach with A-Rod?  Looks like Mr. and Mrs. Clemens may not be the only juicing couple.  New York will probably add Pujols by midseason and then all my hopes are crushed.

Question 4:

Who do you see in the Final Four at this point of the season?

The Matzie- Duke, Ohio State, Pitt and BYU. The first two are easy. Pitt will win the Big East, which is the BEST division in the country. As for BYU, they’ve beaten San Diego State TWICE and they have the best player in the country. That’s right…I said it, I meant it, I’m here to represent it. Jimmmmmmmmmer!

Bob- Duke, Wisconsin, Ohio State, and BYU. Note to reader, no Big East teams.  Enough talk that the Big East should have 11 teams in the tournament. Last year they got 8 bids (the most) and only 4 teams made it out of the first round. Big 10 got 5, and 4 teams made it out of the first round, 3 teams into the sweet 16.

Vic-I would LOVE to see Charlie Sheen in the Final Four. His radio rant the other day was epic. His “Thomas Jefferson was a pu**y” angle was beyond classic. I realize this question is about hoops, but c’mon, Sheen is gold. Anyone remember the time he bought an entire section of seats at Angels Stadium just so he could sit there alone with his glove on and catch a homerun ball?  Take a crazy idea like that and mix it with a three day coke and “paid talent” bender and this interview is the result. It reminded me of some of the Charles Manson parole board hearings over the years. On a side note, I’ll take Duke, Pitt, Texas, and Ohio State.

Gib-It’s a pretty mediocre field this year in college basketball – there are no truly great teams.  There is one great conference though, and I think they could cancel the NCAA tournament and just let the battle royale at Madison Square Garden in a couple weeks decide the national champion.  The Big East is going to have 3 solid teams in multiple regions for this year’s NCAA tourney – so my prediction may be just playing the percentages:  The Big East sweeps the regions and gets 4 teams to the Final Four.  If that wasn’t ridiculous enough – I will now say that the four teams that make it will be Notre Dame, Pitt, St. John’s and Syracuse.

Stinger-Ohio State, Texas, Syracuse, BYU.

Ohio State and Texas have played the best since conference play began.  The Big East will have 11 of the 68 teams so one of theirs will have to make it.  I like Syracuse to turn it on come tourney time.  Pitt always hits the brakes and I could have had Georgetown here until Chris Wright went down.  Duke will also go down.  And Kansas has to stop the sex romps between the men’s and women’s teams.  BYU has Jimmer and he can carry them in this year.  The teams are just not as good as in the past.  Jimmer improved his game by playing prison ball.  Word is that JR Rider took him for 36 though.

Question 5:

Which was a bigger event to you? A rookie winning Daytona or the Rock’s return to Wrestlemania?

The Matzie-I will go on record as saying that NASCAR is the biggest waste of time in all of Sports….if you can call driving a car a sport. Sorry Joe Campanella….even Dale JR sucks. And since I am a fan of all wrestling….I will take the Rock. Can you smelllllllll what the Matzie is cookin!

Bob- I have to say the Rock. I have not seen a Wrestlemania event in two decades but I would if old wrestlers came back to wrestle. Who wouldn’t want to see Magnum TA fight Ivan Koloff one more time only to have the match interrupted by Tully Blanchard and a 60 year old Baby Doll running into the ring to join the fray? Like the old adage says, “Put any sport on one side of a gym and a fight on the other, guess what people watch.

Vic-Let’s look at this a different way. Which participant was more excited about last week’s event? On one hand, you have a kid who is not old enough to rent a car winning a race where you drive in a circle at 200mph. This kid will be a chick magnet for years to come, and will be a legend should he never win another race. On the other hand, you have a gentleman who left the world of wrastling to become a film star. His movie career maybe not playing out to be as “huge” as he thought, he is forced to return to the squared circle in some sort of eye brow trick shame to stay relevant in the public eye. I go with the kid winning the race.

Gib-C’mon, we all know that one of these sports is completely rigged…….and for that reason I just cannot take Nasser seriously.  Give me the people’s elbow.

Stinger- It’s the Rock.  Daytona has already been forgotten.  The Rock should throw in his famous catch phrases in his movies so maybe someone would go see them.  Am I too old to remember Wrestlemania I?  Hogan and Mr. T versus Piper and Orndorff.  King Kong Bundy beat some nugget in like 6 seconds.  Now if Kamala or Mr. Fuji won the Great American Race I would go with the Daytona 500.