All Star Games

Some things work together, some things just don’t. Peanut butter and jam is a match made in gastronomic heaven; peanut butter and cheese isn’t. Some guys look good with long hair; Tom Brady doesn’t. Now what does all of this have to do with All Star games?

Well, to put it in my crazy analogies, NHL All Star weekend is PB&J, and the Pro Bowl is Tom Brady (Beiber style).

Let me elaborate. I haven’t watched any part of the Pro Bowl in five years, and I’ve probably never watched a full Pro Bowl in my life. The NFL has tried to spark some interest in the game in recent years, scheduling it for the weekend between the Championship Games and the Super Bowl. The problem is, no matter how much lipstick you put on a pig, it’s still a pig. And the NFL/Pro Bowl combo is a pretty ugly pig.

The Pro Bowl is awful, and there’s one key reason why. Football can never be a theatrical, light hearted, fun game; and that is exactly what the All Star game is supposed to be.  Football is all about micromanaging, preparation, and following the game plan. Football needs physicality. All Star games are all about entertaining the fans with excitement and skill. As a sport, football just doesn’t work in an All Star Game format.

Now don’t get me wrong, I think the All Star team needs to stay. There should still be two all star teams, they just shouldn’t play. Pick the teams, give the players something to be proud of, and leave it at that.

Luckily, not all sports are so unfit for All Star games. Looking at the other side of the coin, we find the NHL’s All Star weekend. I’m not even talking about the new fantasy draft, schoolyard style pickup game thing, I’m talking about the actual events.

From the skills competition to the game itself, NHL All star weekend is full of excitement. Hockey, especially professional hockey, is the perfect sport for an All Star game. Like I said before, All Star games are all about letting the most talented players shine, and this is exactly what the NHL All star game does. Unlike football, where everything needs to be structured and well planned, some of the most beautiful and fun to watch hockey is usually played at a free-wheeling pace. Without any real hitting or defensive tactics, the game becomes a showcase of talent and creativity which even non hockey fans enjoy. When you get to watch Alex Ovechkin, Steven Stamkos and Daniel Sedin go tic-tac-toe for a tap in, it’s safe to say no one’s complaining.

NHL All Star weekend also has a fantastic skills competition. In hockey, unlike most sports, every player has to perform in almost every aspect of the game. In basketball, not all players need to be able to shoot threes, in baseball there are pitchers and position players, and in football, every player has a completely different role. In hockey however, every player has to be able to skate, shoot and pass, to at least some degree. This is why the skills competition is so great.

We’d love to know which player shoots the hardest, skates the fastest, and is the most accurate. It’s fun to watch players compete individually, talent on talent, instead of watching them in their usual team setting. The NHL skills competition even has fun little gimmicks like the breakway challenge, adding to the creativity aspect of the event.

In the case of big sporting events, I think one of the best ways to judge them is through memories. If you can think of one fond memory from the Pro Bowl, honestly, I commend you. NHL All star weekend, on the other hand, is littered with great moments. From Owen Nolan’s called shot to Alex Ovechkin’s cowboy hat-sunglasses-double stick shootout attempt, All Star weekend has given us plenty to remember.  

It might look like I’m trying to rip apart the NFL, but really, I’m not. There is nothing the NFL can do to fix the Pro Bowl; it’s just the nature of their sport. Like Tom Brady and his hair, the NFL can pull off a lot of things, but this just isn’t one of them. Sometimes, you need to learn to know your limits, swallow your pride, and realize that not everything’s a perfect fit. After all, nobody’s perfect.

Steelers and Giants; Long Lost Brothers

Just so my millions of readers know, I'm going away for the weekend, so there will be no posts until Sunday at the earliest. Try to get through the weekend without my wisdom, I know it'll be hard.

With the Steelers Super Bowl bound, I figured they deserved their own post. This is another theory I’ve been working on for a while now, and I think this is a great time to bring it up.

Success always breeds imitation in sports. Because of this, it’s a wonder why more teams haven’t tried to copy two of the most successful franchises in NFL history, two franchises that are so similar, sometimes it seems the only difference between them may be their colours and the conferences. I’m talking about Big Blue and the Steel Curtain, the Big Apple and Steel City, the New York Giants and the Pittsburgh Steelers.

These two teams have been two of the most successful, classy, and well run organizations in the history of the NFL. The Steelers have had more success as of late, winning six Super Bowls in the modern era, with a possible seventh on the way, compared to three by the Giants. However, in terms of historical success, the gap is closed quite quickly, as the Giants have won four NFL Championships (pre Super Bowl era), putting the final Championship count at 7-6 Giants.  

When we look at the similarities between these two franchises, however, it’s not all about statistics. The runnings of these franchises, as well as their ideologies on and off the field, are nearly identical. Both franchises have been owned by the same family since their creation, with the Mara Family owning the Giants since 1925 and the Rooney family having control over the Steelers (who were originally known as the Pirates) since 1933. Both teams are tightly run within these two families, and the families are known as the classiest in the league. 

The similarities don’t end here. When you think of either of these teams from a football standpoint, there is one main thing that comes to mind; tenacious, smash mouth defence. Whether it’s Lawrence Taylor barrelling around left tackle or Mean Joe Greene and Jack Ham stuffing a runner in the backfield, the Giants and Steelers are known for defence. The new generation of defensive players hasn’t disappointed either, with Troy Polamalu and Michael Strahan leading the way.

Comparing these two teams is like really like splitting hairs. The Giants have a .540 all time winning percentage, the Steelers’ is .520. The Steelers have 18 Hall of Famers, the Giants have 15. Six defensive player of the year award winners for the Steelers, four for the Giants. They can’t even pick different rivals, with both teams’ main rivals, The Eagles and Ravens, being from the bird family. Like I said, splitting hairs.

When you take in all these factors, it almost seems as though Dan Rooney and Paul Mara meet at their very own NFL owners’ book club, brainstorming ideas to make their respective teams better. Based on the success these two teams have had, it makes you wonder why more teams haven’t joined the club.

Super Bowl Preview: Big Matchup to Watch

Don’t worry; this won’t be another full length preview of this year’s Super Bowl. Instead, I’ve decided to focus on one key aspect of the game that I think will be instrumental in deciding the winner. This matchup doesn’t even start on the field though; it starts in the training room.

How Maurkice Pouncey’s ankle will heal, or more specifically, how effective he can be, will have a huge effect on this game. Pouncey’s health will be the key to this matchup, which will pit the interior offensive line of the Steelers against the Packers defensive front. The winner in this battle of the trenches will have a huge edge, and I think by the end of the night, will be crowned Super Bowl Champs.

This matchup will come down to two big players (literally); Maurkice Pouncey and B.J Raji.

The importance of stopping Raji, and the subsequent importance of getting Pouncey healthy, is why the Steelers medical staff is going to be under a lot of pressure these next two weeks. If Pouncey’s ankle heals completely and he’s playing at 100 percent, the Steelers chances at slowing down Raji will increase by a ton. Take Pouncey out of the game, or have him playing at less than 80 percent, and the Steelers chances against Raji and the Packers take a bigger hit than Wes Welker running a crossing route.

The reason Pouncey is so important to the Steelers is obvious. He was named a second team All-Pro this year, and he plays the most important position on the line (yes, more important than Left Tackle in my mind). The offensive line always works best as a cohesive unit, and if any unit is missing their commander, it’s not the same. Pouncey makes all the calls on the line, and the rest of the O-line, not to mention Ben Roethlisberger, trust him immensely. The Steelers won’t be at their best without Pouncey, and they will need to be to stop Raji and the Packers.

Now why is stopping the Packers interior defence so important? Because offensively, everything the Steelers want to do starts with controlling the middle. Pittsburgh will want to run the ball, I’m sure, and if they can stop, or at least contain Raji and the Pack’s interior, they will have a much better chance at doing this. Not only will their running game help them out on the offensive side of the ball, but it’ll help their defence also. If the Steelers can run the ball effectively, it will keep Aaron Rodgers and the Packers potent offence on the sideline, and will allow the Steelers’ D some time to rest.

The Packers can also benefit from controlling the middle. As opposed to a lot of scrambling quarterbacks, Big Ben’s doesn’t usually run near the sidelines; most of his key scrambles are up the middle, while stepping up in the pocket. If Green Bay can get good pressure up the middle and not give Roethlisberger any room to step up, they’ll be able to negate Ben’s rushing ability, and take away one of the Steelers’ biggest weapons.

By getting pressure up the middle, the Packers would also give their pass defence a huge advantage. If Roethlisberger is forced to throw the ball quickly and under pressure most of the game, the big play Packers’ corners will have a field day. Guys like Tramon Williams and Charles Woodson thrive off mistakes and misreads, and if Ben doesn’t have any time to throw, they’ll be able to jump routes and play aggressively all day.

As you can see, the war in the trenches cannot be ignored in this game. From the Steelers running game to the Packers pass defence, so much of this game will hinge on the play of these two lines, and more specifically, the play of these two young +300 pounders.  

 Pouncey vs. Raji; let the games begin.

NBA All-White Team

NBA All Star game voting has started, which means that every sportswriter and internet blogger will be picking their own All Star teams. If you’ve read any of my past blog posts however, you’d know that I don’t like doing the same stuff that everyone’s already seen. I like bringing something new to the table (see “Special NHL Midseason Awards”), and while some conservative people might not like this next post, I think it’s funny and pretty interesting, and I hope you think so too.

My NBA All-White Team

Center: Kevin Love, Minnesota Timberwolves. I know he’s not really a true center, but he was in college, and he’s leading the league in rebounding (15.6) by a ton. He’s also pasty white, undersized, can’t really jump, and has great fundamentals, which gives him major white guy points.

Power Forward: Pau Gasol, Los Angeles Lakers. He’s a big, skilled, recently turned tough post player with exceptional touch around the basket. Gasol will be the main low post threat on this team, and a great compliment to Love down low. He’s also got crazy shaggy white guy hair, a definite plus.

Small Forward: Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas Mavericks. I know Dirk isn’t technically a SF, but this team’s got a lot of size and a lot of post players, so we’ll make an exception. Dirk will be a huge matchup problem, and he’ll definitely be the go-to scorer on this team.

Shooting Guard: Manu Ginobli, San Antonio Spurs. Our third straight European! Manu would be a great addition to the starting five, as both a slasher and a spot up shooter.

Point Guard: Steve Nash, Phoenix Suns. Who else would you want to lead your team? I know Nash is usually better with athletic guys running the floor, but he should be fine with this group of tall, slow white guys. He’s also great friends with Dirk, has great white guy floppy hair, and is Canadian. What more could you possibly want in your All White floor general?

Bench

Forward: Joel Przybilla, Portland Trail Blazers. A very hard choice between Przybilla and Chris Anderson for the big man energy guy role. They’re extremely similar players, and because of this, it came down to a matter of body art. Anderson has way too many tattoos to fit in on this team, sorry Birdman.

Forward: Andrei Kirilenko, Utah Jazz. Gives this team some much needed athleticism and floor running capabilities off the bench. He’s also a pretty solid defensive player and role player, and on a team loaded with stars, these qualities can’t be ignored. On top of all this, Kirilenko’s Russian, giving him some additional white guy points.

Forward: Hedo Turkoglu, Orlando Magic. It was hard to choose between him and Andrea Bargnani for the “7 foot forward who hangs out on the perimeter and shoots threes” spot. I eventually picked Hedo because of his ability to help run the second unit, and his past success in the playoffs.

Guard: Kyle Korver, Chicago Bulls. He’ll be the spot up shooter off the bench for this team. I almost picked J.J Reddick in this spot, but Korver’s got Beiber hair, which gave him the win. I know J.J went to Duke, the ultimate white guy school, but Korver’s hair still beats him out. Sorry, it’s my team.

 Guard: Jason Kidd, Dallas Mavericks. Great veteran to help lead the team and backup Steve Nash.

11^th man: Omri Casspi, Sacramento Kings. He adds some more multi cultural flair, and gives this team a very versatile, athletic 2-3 player.

12^th man: Matt Bonner, San Antonio Spurs. Every team needs a ginger! Bonner also always seems to be playing on championship contending teams, so it can’t really hurt to have him on the roster. Don’t worry though, he won’t actually play.

Just Missed the Cut: Bargnani, Anderson, Reddick, Mike Dunleavy, and Jose Calderon.