by Nick Brower | Feb 22, 2018 | SPORTS
Team USA won a thriller late last night over Canada 3-2 in a shootout to take the gold medal. This puts the US back on top after watching the Canadians dominate the sport for 20 years. This win fittingly came on the eve of the famed “Miracle on Ice’ game which saw the US mens team upset the Soviet Union in the gold medal game of the 1980 games in Lake Placid, New York. The two hockey superpowers battled all night in a back and forth game that was justly decided by a shootout. Jocelyne Lamoureux-Davidson scored what would be the decisive shootout attempt with an amazing back and forth deke she called the “”Oops, I Did It Again”. Maddie Rooney saved the following Canadian attempt and the celebration started. Many members of this team had watched the Canadians celebrate the same way from the ice in Sochi after the last Olympic tournament and that only made the celebration sweeter. This has been a phenomenal rivalry over the last few decades and seeing the American women finally come out on top was an amazing feeling. Well done, ladies, way to kick some ass.
by Nick Brower | Feb 22, 2018 | SPORTS
Just days after J.D. Martinez signed with Boston, Arizona found his replacement. Steven Souza Jr. is headed to Arizona in the three team deal that sent Brandon Drury to New York, with Tampa receiving prospects. Souza Jr. is slotted to be the everyday right fielder for Arizona. He will probably also be given the role of protecting Paul Goldschmitt in the D-backs lineup. And just like that Arizona fills both holes left by Martinez with one smart move. No one, including the D-backs, is expecting Souza Jr. to put up Martinez-like numbers, but he is a more productive hitter than meets the eye. Souza Jr. had a good year last season despite hitting .239. He smacked 30 home runs and drove in 78 runs for a below average offensive club. Expect that production to go up as he’ll be centered in a better lineup and have more RBI opportunities. Arizona faithful should expect Souza Jr. to fit in well and be a good piece for a ball club that will be a serious contender this season.
by Nick Brower | Feb 22, 2018 | SPORTS
The NBA kicks off its second half tonight with a full slate of games. Teams are rested and ready to go following the All-Star break. Here are a few storylines to watch as the second half unfolds.
Cav’s Chemistry: Any team with Lebron has a chance we all know that. But with such a huge roster overhaul at the deadline there are many questions to be answered. Ty Lue and the Cavs will have to use the second half wisely to figure out playing time and roles and get all these new pieces meshing. They’ll need to be firing on all cylinders to compete with the heavy hitters out west.
Jazz Development: Can the Jazz keep the ball rolling after ending the first half on fire? If so, it’ll be on the back of there defense which has been one of the best in the league so far. If they can stay hot they’ll make a serious push for one of the lower playoff seeds.
Who Will Host the Fourth Eastern Conference opening series?: The top three spots re all but locked up in the East. Toronto, Cleveland and Boston will be 1,2,3 one way or another. The fourth spot is still up for grabs. Only three and half games separate Washington in fourth from the eighth place Heat. Getting into that fourth seed and avoiding the top three teams in the first round would be huge for all those contending for it.
Middle of The West: The Western Conference has a similar outlook. Houston and Golden State are 9 games out in front of the Spurs who sit in third but the rest of the race is jam-packed. Only three games separate third and eighth, and the Jazz are only four and a half games back of third in 10th. New Orleans is still holding onto eighth currently but it will be difficult for them keep pace with Boogie Cousins out. That leaves six teams battling for playoff seeding and a chance at winning a first round series. All of them will be looking to avoid Houston and Golden State.
by Nick Brower | Feb 22, 2018 | SPORTS
News broke early Thursday that Corey Dickerson was headed to the Pirates. Pittsburgh will be sending pitcher Daniel Hudson, minor league infielder Tristan Gray and cash to Tampa Bay in exchange for the all-star outfielder. This is a great move for Pittsburgh as Dickerson will be a more than serviceable replacement for Andrew McCutchen. With Starlin Marte moving to center field, Dickerson will fit in beautifully in right. The ballpark also suits the power hitting lefty. Dickerson hit 27 home runs and 33 doubles for the Rays last season and these numbers should go up once Corey gets a look at that short right field porch at PNC. As for Tampa, this move basically ends the Rays’ season. Now that both Longoria and Dickerson are gone this lineup is disgraceful and doesn’t stand a chance in a division with Boston and the Yankees. The Rays are officially in full rebuild mode and I wouldn’t be surprised if Chris Archer and Kevin Kiermaier as are there way out soon as well. Strap in for a tough year Rays’ faithful.
by Nick Brower | Feb 20, 2018 | SPORTS
The best never stop striving to get better. This describes Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo perfectly. Antetokounmpo told reporters last night that he plans to approach Kobe Bryant while in LA for the NBA’s All Star festivities. “I want to ask him if I can come to L.A. to work with him.” said Giannis from the post-game podium after the team’s loss to Denver. This is scary news for the rest of the league. Giannis is already balling out this year and is averaging 27.8 points, 10.4 rebounds and 4.8 assists a night heading into the break. The combination of his lanky 6’11 frame and point guard ball skills make him a matchup nightmare. He already boasts a strong post game and has shown huge growth in his perimeter shooting this season. Teaming up with Kobe could take his game to a whole other planet. Giannis knows that Kobe can offer him more than pointers on the court. Bryant is known as one of the best assassins to ever do it and his killer instincts separated him from other talented players. The Greek Freak is looking to pick Bryant’s brain and try to adopt some of his mindset to bring his game to its peak. The rest of the league should be put on notice and pray they don’t have to check Giannis. I see an MVP or two in his future.
by Nick Brower | Feb 20, 2018 | SPORTS
While there are few clear-cut contenders for the NBA title this year, the race for lottery position is more wide open. In the era of “the process” many teams are much more focused on the draft then trying to contend for the rest of the season. While, in most cases, this is the smart move for the teams involved it spells absolute garbage for fans. Teams beg for their fans’ patience as they try to rebuild their rosters. The 76’ers are the template for this strategy. They haven’t truly competed since the days of AI and went through a five year stretch of being laughable. The payoff? A stash of high draft picks that are finally starting to look like they might pay off. The beginning of their success means trouble for the league because now more teams are willing to try this. It’s one thing if one or two teams know they’re destined for last, but we could see 10 teams pack it in for the rest of the 2018 season. Having a third of the league not even trying means nothing but terrible and boring games night in and night out. Commissioner Silver might want to figure something out to make losing seem a little less promising because I know there’s no chance of me tuning into a Knicks and Hawks game this year, and I’m a New Yorker at heart. No one wants to watch teams compete to be bad.
