First – the Super Bowl.
This was a pretty good game,
kept viewers entertained the whole way, although, it didn’t have the same
“SUPER BOWL” feel to it. Also, the commercials weren’t great. Joe Burrow is a
sophomore, no one can expect him to go out there and beat the Rams, who have
insane top-end talent. Who does Burrow have? Just Ja’Marr Chase, literally, he
can’t even run the ball confidently. On the other hand, the veteran Matt
Stafford was finally blessed with a good team, no one can expect him to lose in
that situation. Surprisingly, they only lost by 3 points on a touchdown with a
minute left.
If the Bengals went to the
Super Bowl this year, then watch out for next year. The Bengals have 10
selections in the draft this year including a first-rounder. They also have the
fourth most cap space with the only expiring contracts being very supplemental
players, but there’s Jesse Bates III, who I would never let go of. And again,
they could make trades, specifically for their offensive line. That $50 million
will be very helpful in sending them back to the Super Bowl in 2023.
For the Rams, they’ve built a
super team. The only problem with any super team is the disbanding of the
players. Was Von Miller just a rental? Probably not because for Aaron Donald to
stay he wants Miller and Odell Beckham Jr. to stay. They don’t have too many
young players, they have some bad contracts. , like Leonard Floyd being paid
$16 million a year for the next four years. And they’re already $20 million
below. It seems to me that the success of the Rams depends on being healthy and
a lot of praying.
Next, baseball.
Where is baseball? The MLB is in a lockout. There have been nine MLB lockouts in history.
I’m confused about what the
MLBPA and the owners are even arguing about. Does anyone know? It includes
the minimum salary going up, expanded playoffs, and reducing the amount of time
a player can spend under team control, among MANY more things, according to
ESPN.
Just give the fans baseball,
both sides want to see it. They’ve already made a few moves, like installing
the universal DH (self-explanatory: having a DH for both the AL and the NL) and
eliminating draft pick compensation (not self-explanatory). Draft pick
compensation is when a franchise loses a good player to free agency, and the
team offered them a qualifying offer, the MLB gives that team a draft pick. So,
if the Nationals were to lose Juan Soto now, the MLB would respond with, “Suck
it up.”
I would’ve done an offseason
recap but there is no full offseason to recap yet.
By this time, pitchers and
catchers should’ve reported and Spring Training would’ve started in under a
week. This is insane!
Finally, basketball.
For the first time in many years, the Eastern Conference is more exciting than the Western. In the West, the Suns are running away with it. Chris Paul, Devin Booker, and Deandre Ayton are too much for the opposition to handle. The Warriors might catch up when Draymond Green comes back, but the second seed is a good spot. The Timberwolves might start something with Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, but only if their point guard is good, without D’Angelo Russell being good, the Wolves will stay at about the seventh seed. I expect the Lakers to be north of the seventh seed when April rolls around.
In the East, all the teams
are respectable. The Heat have one of the best rosters in the NBA, but I don’t
think it’s bold to say they are being carried by Jimmy Butler. The Bulls just
have a great Big Four in DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, Nikola Vucevic, and Lonzo
Ball. I wish they could stay healthy. Right behind them are the Cleveland
Cavaliers (nobody knows how they’re so good) and the Philadelphia 76ers.
They’re the four seed without a game with James Harden yet, is the first seed
incoming? After that are the Milwaukee Bucks obviously being led by Giannis
Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton? After them are the Boston Celtics. These
guys are the busts of the season so far. Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown are
supposed to cruise them to a home-court spot in the first round. They also have
Marcus Smart, Derrick White, and the emergence of Robert Williams. Recently,
they went on a 9 game winning streak. I am so high on the Charlotte Hornets for
no reason. Maybe it’s because of LaMelo Ball but they’re becoming one of my
favorite teams to watch. The Brooklyn Nets being at the 8 seed is so wild to
me. Just wait till Kevin Durant comes back, Kyrie Irving can play all games and
the supplemental players pop off. I hate how the Knicks didn’t make any moves
over the trade deadline. On the other hand, maybe they shouldn’t, because in
the succeeding games, superstar Julius Randle played like Michael Jordan.
Something to note here: any team 1-8 in the East could be the one seed, it
cannot be said for the West.
Players:
No one is averaging more than
30 PPG, that’s a little weird but ok. And in the top 5 PPG leaders, there is
only one guard, also weird, but ok. Clint Capela is still top 3 in rebounding,
what’s new? Myles Turner could actually make a good DPOY candidate averaging
2.8 blocks. James Harden is deciding to pass the ball a little more this year,
averaging 10.2 assists. Dejounte Murray is a top 20 player in the NBA. Russell
Westbrook averaged a triple-double four separate times and he was a top 5
player in OKC when he won his MVP in 2017. Murray is averaging 20, 8, and 9 on
the year with two steals, leading the league. It’s cool how Joel Embiid is the
first option for the Sixers everywhere. Not just down low, but the offense will
be run through him. It’s the same way with Nikola Jokic, but Jokic doesn’t have
a “Tobias Harris” type player, he’s just out there alone because both Jamal
Murray and Michael Porter Jr. are significantly injured. Who knew Fred VanVleet
is averaging four threes a game? Why is nobody putting Luka Doncic in the top 5
for MVP voting? He’s averaging 27.5, 9, and 9 with basically no more help now
that Kristaps Porzingis is gone. Doncic isn’t, but Chris Paul, who’s averaging
just 15, 4, and 10, is fourth??
I’m also trying to get into
hockey right now, just to add another facet in my blogs. I’m trying to gain as
much knowledge as possible as I do with basketball, football, and baseball.
By the way: Sports are really fun.
