The West on a Tier - An Alternative Look at the Western Conference

You have seen the Pacific, Northwest & Southwest Divisions as previewed by someone. Time to put in my two cents on the picture.

Yes, I know the season has started. Been a little busy. And as per someone's wishes, the Miami admiration / bashing via the one-off posts will be kept at a bare minimum.

Here we go.

1st Tier: The Champs

Los Angeles Lakers

What I Like: Adding Steve Blake, Theo Ratliff and Matt Barnes is certainly a huge upgrade.

What I do not Like: Injury woes with Andrew Bynum still dogging them.

The one key factor: Pau Gasol. He's gonna carry this team (especially early on) with Kobe taking it nice and easy due to his knee issues. I think he will be in the 20-10 range this season.

2nd Tier: The Wily Veterans

Dallas Mavericks

What I Like: Having Tyson Chandler to lob to for Jason Kidd. Dirk being Dirk. Mark Cuban. The possibility of Mavs games at the Jerryworld.

What I do not Like: Kidd is 38. He's reduced to shooting threes at this point.

The one key factor: Do the veterans still have it in them? They always seem to come up short. Dirk has logged in a lot of minutes as well and can he withstand the long season (although he did not participate in Istanbul).

San Antonio Spurs

What I Like: They are the most fundamental team on earth. They'll bore you to death.

What I do not Like: Injury concerns with Manu Ginobili and Tony Parker.

The one key factor: DeJuan Blair as the starting center of the Spurs. Timmy D's is in the downward slope of his career. He needs to help him carry the weight, so to speak.

Utah Jazz

What I Like: How the Jazz stole Al Jefferson the way the Lakers stole Pau Gasol. A stud PG in Deron Williams. Jerry Sloan still coaching the pick & roll.

What I do not Like: The hole in their shooting guard position, because Portland millsap'd Wesley Matthews after his playoff performance. All up to CJ Miles and Raja Bell.

The one key factor: Whether AK-47 will return to his peak form. If not with the Jazz, he's a good expiring contract to use as an asset.

3rd Tier: The Wildcard

Oklahoma City Thunder


What I Like: Pretty much everything. I got a mancrush on this team, have to admit.

What I do not Like: They don't have a savvy veteran leadership who would say, "I've been here before." Does Mo Pete apply in this case? Law of averages? (They were pretty much injury-free last year.)

The one key factor: Can they handle the pressure of being one of the top teams in the conference? Lots of eyes are on them. Will they live up to the expectations? Remember, they were one-and-done last time.

4th Tier: Central Question Marks

Portland Trailblazers

What I Like: Brandon Roy. Their head coach Nate McMillan. The mix of good veteran leaders and youngsters.

What I do not Like: Greg Oden going the Sam Bowie route. And he did the Brett Favre (even though he predated it). The lingering row between Miller and Roy.

The one key factor: Injuries have kowtowed their chances to succeed the past few seasons, especially last year. I know Sam Presti has seen what the Blazers have gone through, because what Portland was before, Oklahoma City is now.

Houston Rockets

What I Like: Kevin Martin and Aaron Brooks shooting lots and lots of FT attempts. That and Luis Scola.

What I do not Like: None, really. But if pressed, probably the Chinese obsession in All-Star voting.

The one key factor: What Yao Ming can do in 24 minutes/game. Career wise, that would be translating into 14-7 with 1 blk.

Denver Nuggets

What I Like: The altitude factor. Chauncey Billups. The promise of Ty Lawson. The Fight against Cancer by George Karl.

What I do not Like: The atrocious neck tattoos on Kenyon Martin and Chris Andersen.

The one key factor: The Carmelo situation, also known as the white elephant in the room. Everything follows once that is settled. Could last as long as Lebron's.

5th Tier: Good, but not THAT Good

Phoenix Suns

What I Like: Alvin Gentry's version of the SSOL. Steve Nash. Jared Dudley. Josh Childress. Sideshow Mel a.k.a Robin Lopez. Alvin Gentry's daughter (she's an avid tweeter.)

What I do not Like: Too much wings, which may result in Hedo playing PF. God held him.

The one key factor: As always, the medicine men of the Suns. Grant Hill was finally healthy. Imagine that.

New Orleans Hornets

What I Like: Current GM Dell Demps used to play in the Philippines as a reinforcement. The Skip Prosser connection (CP3 / David West)

What I do not Like: Still bogged down by bad contracts (although not as much as before). Marco Bellinelli starting alongside CP3. I still remember Marco as the Summer League stud.

The one key factor: How Monty Williams fares in his head coaching debut. I think I still have his NBA trading card. My how old I am.

6th Tier: On the Cusp

Los Angeles Clippers

What I Like: Admittedly biased, I like almost everything with them. Starting with Blake Griffin.

What I do not Like: Knowing that the Clipper malaise is just around the corner, waiting and waiting. Losing Steve Blake to the other side of Staples.

The one key factor: Baron Davis. All I ask him is to Getcha Head in the Game. And stay healthy, too.

Memphis Grizzlies

What I Like: How these guys can go up and down the court and showcase their athleticism.

What I do not Like: They'll be making a lot of financial decisions this coming offseason, starting with Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol. Still think they overpaid Rudy Gay.

The one key factor: Will Mike Conley be the PG that can run this team? They need a capable PG to run an offense.

Sacramento Kings

What I Like: The young cast of characters. The uptempo nature of Paul Westphal.

What I do not Like: Logjam with Cousins, Dalembert, Landry, Thompson at the bigs and Garcia, Greene, Casspi at the wings.

The one key factor: #Reke4ROY is over. What's the next step for Tyreke? His development will determine if they would be able to go up to the tier above within the next two years.

7th Tier: Needs Reimaging

Golden State Warriors

What I Like: Steph Curry, who is one of the smartest young studs out there. The fans who stood by with this team even when they stink, and out here, there are a lot of people I know who trace their links to the Bay Area who love them as well.

What I do not Like: How this team is really that bad defensively. Dorell Wright starting at the 3. Monta Ellis, because he really is overrated.

The one key factor: How Keith Smart will do in his first head coaching job. Will he keep the Nellieball concept? Based from how things are, he just might.

Minnesota Timberwolves

What I Like: As a Clipper fan, having their first round pick in 2012 (Thank you, Marko). Kevin Love.

What I do not Like: David Kahn running this franchise, knowing Stephen Curry could have made wonders.

The one key factor: The potential of Michael Beasley could be realized. Or it could set them back so far...

The East on a Tier - An Alternative Look at the Eastern Conference

You have seen the Atlantic, Southeast & Central Divisions as previewed by someone. Time to put in my two cents on the picture.

1st Tier: The Big Threes

Boston Celtics

What I like: Having a chip on their shoulders. Because quite simply, all the attention in South Beach just set off a rejuvenation of Beantown. In addition, the continued evolution of Rajon Rondo into the post-PGA Tour leader. Their bench depth, by the way, rivals Orlando's.

What I do not like: Perk being unavailable until post-All Star Break, because again, they never lost with the Pierce-KG-Ray-Rajon-Perk starting 5 in the postseason. Looks like the O'Neals will have to do until then.

The one key factor: the Celtics medical staff. I hope they can be a creditable facsimile of Phoenix, because the health of their veterans will dictate how far they can go.

Miami Heat

What I like: Having three superstars team up like this will be something worth paying attention to.

What I do not like: How they are really dependent on the glue guys. Already a bad sign with Mike Miller being out until next year.

The one key factor: Lebron. It's all up to him. He needs to prove himself and show it.

2nd Tier: Armed to the Teeth

Orlando Magic

What I like: Their depth comes in very handy, as they can go big or small.

What I do not like: Rashard Lewis not stepping up to the value of his contract. Having to rely on Vince Carter. PG drop-off after Jameer Nelson

The one key factor: Will Dwight mature enough? Better yet, will the Olajuwon apprenticeship pay off?

Chicago Bulls

What I like: The development of Derrick Rose and the fiery yet possibly annoying Joakim Noah.

What I do not like: Their chase of Carmelo Anthony, because there really is not a fit for him with the roster as currently constituted. Carlos Boozer's injury history.

The one key factor: Tom Thibodeaux. A definite upgrade over Vinny Del Negro in coaching acumen, but the players liked Vinny.

3rd Tier: Good, but not THAT Good

Atlanta Hawks

What I like: They're high-flying. They're exciting. The Philips Arena is said to be called the "Highlight Factory".

What I do not like: That ridiculous contract of Joe Johnson. Still lacking size on the bench save for Zaza Pachulia.

The one key factor: Jamal Crawford is in a contract year. And is still seeking an extension. He could make or break them.

Milwaukee Bucks

What I like: The #FearTheDeer concept. Squad 6. Brandon Jennings.

What I do not like: The trend of Scott Skiles burning people out the next season. Lack of a veteran PG to guide Jennings (like how Luke Ridnour played last year). Balancing minutes with the swing wings (Delfino, Maggette, Salmons, Mbah a Moute, Ilyasova).

The one key factor: Andrew Bogut being back in form after that horrific injury. Huge drop-off, although the Bucks made moves to shore it up. but still...

Charlotte Bobcats

What I like: C & C (Music) Factory in Gerald "Crash" Wallace & "Captain Jack" Stephen Jackson.

What I do not like: As pointed out, high probability of the "checking out" concept, from Larry Brown to Jackson. Boris Diaw out of shape again.

The one key factor: DJ Augustine being asked to play the right way. Raymond Felton bolted to the Knicks, and the promise of Shaun Livingston remains unfulfilled. Could be a bit too much.

4th Tier: Mediocrity Reign

Cleveland Cavaliers

What I like: JJ Hickson looks primed to emerge.

What I do not like: Small forward rotation is composed of Anthony Parker, Jamario Moon and Joey Graham. That happens when the person who they called "Quitness" leaves them on a lurch.

The one key factor: How Byron Scott can properly channel the energy that came after The Decision.

Philadelphia 76rs

What I like: Doug Collins being the taskmaster on this underachieving bunch.

What I do not like: Elton Brand being a shell of his former Clipper self.

The one key factor: Jrue Holliday. He's going to be given the keys to the offense.

New York Knicks

What I like: Exciting offense. The SSOL is always fan-friendly. Having a decent point guard like Felton running the team. Adding people who knew about it helps (Amar'e and the former Warriors who ran a similar offense dubbed as Nellieball)

What I do not like: Eddy Curry's still on the roster.

The one key factor: The Carmelo Sweepstakes. If the Knicks can find a way to get him without having to trade away Gallinari, it would be great.

Indiana Pacers

What I like: The acquisition of Darren Collison, making the team less scrappy.

What I do not like: Josh McRoberts starting at the PF position.

The one key factor: the PF position. Currently held by McRoberts, but Psycho T is creditable backup. Danny Granger can play it in a pinch.

Detroit Pistons

What I like: Hard to find one, honestly. Rip Hamilton running through screens the way he does it is something worth seeing as a basketball nut.

What I do not like: Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon, the overpaid guys not starting. Jonas Jerebko being out.

The one key factor: The ownership situation. Who takes over this franchise? That then dictates the next step, which is the idea of trading Rip Hamilton and or Tayshaun Prince.

5th Tier: Needs Reimaging

New Jersey Nets


What I like: The Russian Billionaire. Jay-Z. Brook Lopez and Devin Harris. The signings, because they acquired role players that can contribute immediately.

What I do not like: Not playing in the Barclays yet (Brooklyn), being stuck in the nowhereness of Newark.

The one key factor: Avery Johnson and Devin Harris. Avery was the coach during Devin's first few seasons in the league.

Washington Wizards

What I like: The development of John Wall, the acquisition of Kirk Hinrich.

What I do not like: Unproven mettle of their big men. Josh Howard being hurt.

The one key factor: What they will actually do with Gilbert Arenas. He's such a wildcard that could help or hurt them. The contract is definitely a huge millstone.

Toronto Raptors

What I like: The cosmopolitan surroundings of Canada. There has to be a reason why Hedo decided to party party last year.

What I do not like: The fact that they are a mess. Period.

The one key factor: Someone has to step up and lead this team. Whether it would be either of Calderon / Jack or Bargnani remains to be seen.

5 Things I Learned about Miami and Boston

Yes, I know it is one game, but it's nice noting observations about it, given the buzz it generated. Normally, it takes 20-30 games for teams to figure things out, so people can take me with a grain of salt.

1. Boston definitely has a bench. No Delonte? Marquis Daniels was adequate. So was Nate Robinson. Jermaine O'Neal was just fine. The Drunken Seal that is Big Baby was just awesome.

2. Motivated Shaq. Just 18 minutes, but the way he played at the start of the game set the tone for the C's. 9-7-1 = Perk numbers. The O'Neal's have a pretty defined role, that is to hold the fort until Kendrick returns.

3. The absence of Mike Miller hurts. James Jones and Eddie House played 26 minutes each. Mike Miller would have been better out there. I would think he would be getting 30 minutes at the most, like Udonis Haslem.

4. Dwayne Wade is cold. I believe this is the first game the player formerly known as Flash played after his hamstring injury. And it showed. 4/16 shooting. 6 turnovers. Speaking of cold, Chris Bosh was abysmal.

5. Lebron looked like Lebron we knew in Cleveland. 42 minutes. 31 points (10/21 shooting). 4 rebounds. 3 assts. Had to deal with Paul Pierce, Ray Allen and even Marquis Daniels all night long. The 3rd quarter was the Lebron we expected. He had a hand on the last 14pts the Heat scored in the 3rd canto.

Blog Outsourcing 10/25

Welcome to today's edition of Sparty and Friends.

I finally figured out the concept of the NFL Red Zone Channel. Nope, our cable provider does not have the service. Fortunately, as someone who has somewhat mastered finding the craft online, I managed to get access to one for free and as such, managed to watch it early this morning. No wonder people have been bedazzled by it. You get to watch snippets of every game and its highlights all around. Really neat, especially for fantasy owners. Also for the fastfood generation, who always wanted things in a snap like that *snaps fingers*.

That's the best way of keeping in step with everything, how you go about securing information and knowledge. It's such a godsend. I hope that my bandwidth will continue to allow me such liberties.

Anyway, the NBA is opening this week. With talks of the upcoming lockout looming, the House of Stern stated the possibility of contraction as an option if not payroll reduction. But be'fore they think of that, they should think of get the owners to get a hold of themselves when they just hand out contracts like that of Darko's and Joe Johnson's and David Lee's.

Hereforth are the links:

Typical Favre game in the Favre Bowl. Then Brad threw him under the bus. No end to the drama anytime soon.

The Champs got schooled by the black punter for 68 yards. Madden Curse?

Steelers get another lucky officiating break. It does not matter that the ref was a Pittsburgh native.

Who knew the Bills could score 34 and STILL lose? On the other hand, the Ravens ALLOWED 34 points. What gives, Ray Lewis?

The Raiders placed the Broncos out to pasture, even Mr. Prejean got to play.

We have seen this before in San Diego, but if Norv pulls off another great end to the season.... He seems to push his good luck altogether.

Da Bears need line help, stat.

Oh, John Fox has never had a 10-loss season ever. This win might be a good start.

You have two weeks, Michael Vick, because Titans took care of Kevin Kolb. It has now turned in the modern equivalent of Van Brocklin and Waterfield.

We all know Craig James is a douche.

Need 14 pts from Ahmad Bradshaw.

Is this a Heisman moment? Still have the Iron Bowl...

Giants now back home, where they may see Vlad the Impaler on the field.

John Farrell in T.Dot.

Where should Cliff Lee go?

Jamie Dixon, all-around good guy.

Party pooper, I tell you. Karma bites back.

Be prepared to shell out huge ka-chings...

You know, Hines is correct with this one.

Heat fix hole with Jerry Stackhouse.

Will Jerryd Bayless be the Collison fix?

Here's the new Linkin Park song to close it out.

Thinking Aloud about the "Jacked Up" Sunday

Just saw the clip now and I thought about everything that happened last weekend, including the hit on Eric Legrand (here is the latest on him).

I, as a fan, truly enjoy the experience of watching football. It has been said to be gladitorial (Spartan, one might say) combat on cleats. Injuries come with the game and people have (in general) accepted it. Some may be too much, but if that is how you can ensure stoppage of play, you have to do it. (admittedly, the Meriweather hit was a bit too much and the Hoodie understood that very very well by benching the guy)

I understand the concern about head injuries and thus the reason why there was such a reaction from the House of Goodell, but how this has gotten out of hand is a little disconcerting. However, the discussions have piqued my interest on what really is the solution to the problem.

The NFL has reached a dilemma. Faced with its ethos, tradition and essence, against science and safety, and against the almighty ka-ching. It is up to them to do the next step.

And finally, just checked it now, the DVD is still available on NFL store.

Blog Outsourcing - 10/18

Welcome to today's edition of Sparty and Friends.

Whilst most of the S&F community met up down south (those who were not there expect pictures from those who attended), I was also in a family reunion as well.

A year ago today, my father moved on. I wrote about it two days after he passed. As custom, we commemorate it with prayers and food. It has been a year and we managed to cope and survive his absence. I miss him truly and I hope he still watches over us wholeheartedly.

What I always remember about my dad's final day was that CC Sabathia won. I watched it with him that morning. He loved the sport. Did not find it boring. He liked the aspect of pitching because he used to pitch. Monday mornings were great for him thanks to Sunday Night Baseball. The adage is definitely true: Sports is truly a father-son bonding experience.

And for those who need to know, I am perfectly fine (so far). Yes, there is a supertyphoon that (as of this writing) just made landfall in the Motherland, battering anything in sight in the Northern portion of the island. Here is an illustration of Megi.

Hereforth are the linkage madness taken over the past few days (to cover for the missing links):

The ALCS has had one script so far. The only difference is the 8th inning. Who knew, Colby Lewis? And now, Cliff Lee looms.

Great pitching duel got spoiled by a Cody Ross in the NLCS. Good thing Roy Oswalt was stellar in pitching AND hitting in Game 2, with a little J-Ro insurance. Unfortunately, if you were in a certain area, you might have missed it. The masses always lose out on business vs business scuffles.

From the not-that-Hot Stove: Lilly extends, Sandy Alderson (& Tony LaRussa?) primed to be a Met, Eric Wedge brushing up on his Wii skills.

How do Yankee fans remember Freddie Sez?

Brent Musberger trying to hip. Not quite, though.

Buckeyes fail the #1 test. Again. Now the pressure is either in Norman or in Eugene (take your pick). Looks like Corso's gonna be at a unbeaten clash.

Texas sends Nebraska a parting gift.

Meanwhile, Vanderbilt has a shot of leading the SEC East if they beat South Carolina. This is the same Vanderbilt that got shellacked between the hedges 43-0. That's because Kentucky football avenged the basketball team's loss against the Gamecocks. Btw, Randall Cobb, Kentucky will always be a basketball school first. Spurrier's crew still have the lead because Gators did what they never did under the Zooker, lose three straight.

If you were a Golden Gopher, is it basketball season already? Football season is already over for someone. And no, Tony Dungy is not coming through that door. He's enjoying the coach's clicker too much.

When you think 65-43 in the SEC, it would be college basketball. Thanks to Cameron Newton and the atrocious Auburn defense, it is now possible on the gridiron. Meanwhile, the previous trendy pick to the Heisman got jacked up by the Fighting Stanzis.

Meanwhile, the little-engines-that-could juggernauts in Boise, Fort Worth and Salt Lake City just keep chugging along.

The latest on Eric Legrand. I am sure you all remember Adam Taliaferro very very well. To Schiano's credit, he did seek input for JoePa on handling this situation.

Bad news for the preseason Big Televen favorite. Hope he can come back next season.

The NFC West being the worst division in football? Nope. Seattle, San Francisco and St. Louis won today (Arizona is on a bye). Compare that to the AFC West, which had Kansas City, Oakland, Denver and San Diego all losing. (San Fran faced Oakland and St. Louis faced San Diego)

Panic averted in Minnesota. Jerry Jones may be calm right now, but he's definitely stewing inside Jerryworld.

So far so good for Deion Branch.

Why the NFL blackout rule is nonsense.

Here's a Diddy story. It is said that one reason why Jamie Foxx was selected for Any Given Sunday is that P.Diddy threw like a girl.

All this needs is Brent Musberger and Beano Cook or Keith Jackson and Pat Summerall doing studio booth action.

How people take football really seriously.

Because we need more hockey.

This must be a continuation from his HOFer speech.

One solution for this: better scheduling.

To end, here is the something from The Killers.

Blog Outsourcing 10/11

Welcome to today's edition of Sparty and Friends.

Normally, I compose this post around two to three hours before it is posted to ensure I have the latest news. This week, I will be a preoccupied with certain matters, so the post was created a little earlier than planned.

Yesterday was 10-10-10. Lots of stuff involving the number 10. If you are a porn addict, yesterday was special because it was X.X.X. Here are some interesting things that involve the number.

13 NBA players wore the number last year. (Best known ones: Jonny Flynn, Eric Gordon, Mike Bibby, Leandrinho Barbosa)

17 NHL players wore the number at the start of this current season (Best known ones: Marian Gaborik, Brenden Morrow, Patrick Sharp)

5 MLB teams retired the number for someone (Sparky Anderson - Reds, Dick Howser - Royals, Phil Rizzuto - Yankees, Ron Santo - Cubs, Andre Dawson & Rusty Staub - Expos)

The St. Louis Cardinals won 10 World Series.

The number was retired in Minnesota for Fran Tarkenton and in Atlanta for Steve Bartkowski.

The 10th pick in NBA draft in 1998 was Paul Pierce. He might be the best player ever drafted at that spot, although Brandon Jennings (2009) and Brook Lopez (2008) each have a bright future ahead of them.

In the history of the NFL Draft, the 10th overall pick produced Marcus Allen (1982), Rod Woodson (1987) and Jerome Bettis (1993). It also produced Matt Leinart (2006) and Travis Taylor (2000). Remains to be seen where the likes of Jerod Mayo (2008) and Amobi Okoye (2007) will go.

Pele (for Brazil) and Maradona (Argentina) wore the number 10. 10 also means perfection in gymnastics, as demonstrated first in 1976 by Nadia Comaneci.

Hayden Fry has the 10th most wins in College Football. Bobby Bowden, Vince Dooley and George Welsh each had 10 bowl losses.

And of course, she is a ten, too.



Now to check out the links:

The Reds had no chance against the Phillies. No chance in Hell.

Brooks Conrad just committed another error.

The Rays are alive. Yankees pleased both aces (Lee for Texas, Price for Tampa B) will be both unavailable against CC for Game 1 of the ALCS.

This will be an interesting week in the Bay Area. Oakland outplays San Diego, ending a long losing streak against them. Then, there was the Niners meltdown by Alex Smith. Battle of the Bay next week. This after the way they lost and its aftermath last week.

More drama for Albert Haynesworth. But the Redskins pull out a win out of the hat. Peyton Manning looms next Sunday night, freshly disposed from finally removing the Chiefs from the ranks of the unbeaten. Mercury Morris can now celebrate and enjoy the moment.

Aaron Rodgers with a concussion. Am I ready to start Carson Palmer in the imminent future?

Admittedly, Tom Brady needs the haircut.

Hockey trying to reach back to their roots with their looks.

Speaking of which, only in Canada.

The Islanders have a feel of a college team. Imagine listening to someone call one.

Yep, it is hockey season alright.

And you think fans are already shortchanged with the putridness of a team...

Maybe this recruit can help reshape the downtrodden Colorado State Rams.

Chart action on baseball only Miz would love.

This link is because there is a horse movie out there.

You should play to win the game, not get intimidated and forfeit.

Things are getting really bad when someone bet against his own team AND earned a profit doing it.

With the Red Sox possibly having Liverpool as their bosom buddies, time for people to learn a little soccer lingo.

A sample equation of the Goodell formula.

So, why do people cheat in running events. On a Motherland note, there was a huge run yesterday.

Have you been here?

So, why did you really retire?

The NFL's alter ego as the No-Fun-League strikes again.

Charlie Davies was in a car that ran 125. He was fresh from that accident that cost him a World Cup spot. Good thing he was not driving.

We now know who is Cigar Man. Now we can finally move on.

The end is near for Tiger Woods. Lee Westwood is about to be The Man (at least for a week).

Excuses. Excuses. Urban just got outfoxed by the Mad Hatter. So be it.

Tobacco is bad for your health, I tell ya.

Here is a song from Ten to end the day.

Blog Outsourcing - 10/4

Welcome to today's edition of Sparty and Friends.

It feels good to be a champion. The satisfaction of winning is awesome. And that is a beautiful thing. The past week was great. My alma mater sealed their third straight Senior men's collegiate basketball title. Its high school sealed its third straight title as well. I was there for both games in the finals (you can find pictures on the photo section of my Facebook) and it was very gratifying to root for them as they sealed the deal in clutch style.

The bonfire to celebrate the championship was held last night in the campus grounds. I arrived late to the venue (coming from a special family dinner). Booze was flowing, commemorative championship gear was for sale, food was plentiful and the music was awesome. The school had earlier declared today as a special holiday to ensure the students have nothing to worry about if they get too drunk, in a way. Of course, those who have work elsewhere took the risk and enjoyed the evening nevertheless.

Happy days are here again. Now the long wait begins until the next season come July. We will be the hosts for that season, and we hope we get the fourth straight and let the good times roll.

Here are the links for your reference:

Before they sort of dispatched the Zookers, this is what the Sweatervest was doing.

Feel free to debunk the notion of whose team has the loudest stadium.

It has returned to wreak havoc again on humanity's ears.

Yup, it's hockey preseason. Hit the pucks time.

Are you ready for their football?

Bitterness because it was the Reds who sealed the NL Central Division?

Sometimes, people really should know what they are getting into, instead of using the legal system.

It is so hard to believe that with all the attention it has generated for tennis, Anna Kournikova never won an event.

Monster Mash is the anti-Antoine Walker.

Some people cannot accept the fact the Michael Vick deserves a second chance. I presume they were pleased that he got hurt, and that Donovan McNabb got the win he desperately wanted.

The Mets need to level the entire franchise and start from the ground up. This may be the first step.

Just shut up, get a deal done and avert a lockout. That's so simple, NFL and NFLPA.

LSU AD says that LSeaUx fans need to support the team. After seeing the end of their game against the Volunteers, he might need to take that back. The Mad Hatter thinks they'll do better.

He really did not see this coming. Literally.

Woj making sense on Lebron.

Some people have nothing else to do but find clever Gameday signs.

Congrats Sparty on knocking off the Badgers. Now can they can Shoelace tied up?

Have people outgrown Hockey Night in Canada?

I am sure Plax was pleased with how the Giants D disassembled the Bears. Nice touch on the Ring of Honor.

The Gatortreo and the iTrey still manifest in other means.

It took them a little extra to seal the AL East title, but the Red Sox made it easier for them. Good, because grim news lie in the horizon.

Speaking of Yankees-Red Sox, people really take this too seriously.

I am proud to be a left-hander.

Things are getting ug(a)ly in Athens. (I remember typing this exact line a week ago)

Congrats to Mr. Ashley Judd on his achievement, meanwhile, Jimmie Johnson is back in the habit again.

Kickers had a much much better day today than last week. Josh Scobee, Matt Bryant and a freshly defrosted John Carney did it.

Mike Singletary looks so defeated.

Titans love flipping the bird.

All the tiebreaker scenarios have been averted. Giants and Braves seal the deal. Now they face off in a duel.

Joe Torre gets a decent send-off in Los Angeles, ditto for Cito Gaston.

Good news: you keep Joakim Noah. Bad news: you don't have Carlos Boozer until probably Christmas time.

To part: here's a story of how we rolled this year. Thanks to a friend of mine.


And this one is for the three years:

Blog Outsourcing: 9/27

Welcome to today's edition of Sparty and Friends.

A year ago, I spent the night in a mall alongside others stuck amidst the floods as a result of a typhoon. I walked and saw its carnage. I, on behalf of my fellow countrymen, appreciate the efforts of those who tried to chip in and help.

Walking home that fateful Sunday morning and seeing what transpired during the night, it really surprised me as to how we were caught off-guard, unprepared and shellshocked we all were. All the mud, the damage, the carnage. Good thing we were able to secure electricity that night.

I hope we learned from that experience and move on to become better prepared and better focused on handling disasters like this in the future.

Onto other things:

I'll need a miracle to beat GITC. You heard me, Aaron Rodgers? I need an aerial attack to work. And if you stall, I'll need Mason Crosby to make field goals. You got that?

Hereforth are the links:

Records are meant to be broken, but these are somewhat unassailable.

More reasons why people blame the economy. But it's also on Title IX perhaps.

We're getting closer and closer to looking like the peeps on Wall-E.

And the beat goes on for Jose Bautista.

Remember when people got scared on the possibility of OT during the NFC Title game as well as the Super Bowl? It just happened in Aussie Rules Grand Final.

Now, why would you do this?

GITC vs this girl? Who wins?

Here is an idea that might work for baseball.

The Reds have a flamethrower in their midst. Think he can do a 2002 K-Rod facsimile? They only need either a win or a Cardinal loss and they've sealed it.

Phillies seal a berth in a loss.

The Bobby Cox roadshow ends in a loss. He had earlier secured his 2500th win.

Think Ben Stiller or Vince Vaughn would be the stars of this one?

This DMC can rap unlike the other AFC West DMC. But they don't stand a candle to THE RUN DMC.

Danica Patrick making baby steps in her quest for domination.

RIP Giant Gonzalez.

David obviously did not learn from Tiger.

Finally, the Texas Rangers secure the division. Looks like their rotation is set, too.

Michael Owen saves the Red Devils from defeat. But on the other hand, Chelsea goes down to Manchester City.

Real Madrid having problems scoring goals. Not for Barca. Meanwhile, Valencia leads the Primera.

Ryan Mallett's Heisman chances are at the same tier as Jake Locker's.

Boise State did enough to stay in the chase, but what is interesting now is that Nevada is giving them an unintentional lift. They meet on Thanksgiving Friday at Reno. Meanwhile, Virginia Tech helping the Broncos out with a shutout against Boston College.

Oregon escapes with a win against Arizona State with an undefeated Stanford (fresh from blasting the Irish that had the Stanley Cup in their midst) looming in the horizon.

Ohio State and Wisconsin plaster their opponents with 70+ scores. Their Big Televen play opens next week with Buckeyes facing the Zookers and the Badgers facing the Spartans. Speaking of which, we still don't know if Dantonio is going to coach, but Don Treadwell's doing fine so far.

The Red River rivalry lost a little luster as Oklahoma's stumbling through and Texas actually losing in Austin.

Things are about to get ug(a)ly in Athens. First, they lose at Starkvegas. Then, they kick out a player.

ACLs down someone in Happy Valley and in Oxford. Knees being monitored in Purdue and Ann Arbor.

Here is the AP Poll.

How did the Twins win the division?

Cubs in no rush to find Sweet Lou's successor, but is Ozzie interested? Brenly is not.

Glad to know Blake Hawksworth is fine.

Writing on the wall for Bonderman?

Yankees end slump, take advantage of Rays slip-up.

KG is feeling good. Looks motivated, too.

At this point, the guy needs to shut up already. It's embarrassing. Makes that loss to the Rams look really awful.

Let the overhype between McNabb & Vick begin. Vick just finished assaulting cats.

Singapore really is a nice place to have a race.

Parting video: Because she made headlines on SNL after the Sesame Street issue.

TWTWTNBA: The Melo Conundrum

So, the Nuggets finally relented and decided to do the inevitable and listen to trade offers involving Carmelo Anthony. They're not going to get full value, but they'll try. Who should be trying to pry away him from the Rocky Mountains?

These are in no particular order, by the way.

1. Los Angeles Clippers. Homerism aside, they have an interesting trade chip (David Kahn's unprotected future 1st round pick. You can thank Adrianna Lima's husband). They can also dangle any combination of Chris Kaman, Blake Griffin, Eric Gordon and Aminu. In the end though, Sterling will nix it for he is Donald Sterling.

2. Chicago Bulls. Any deals that Denver would be interested in would probably involve Joakim Noah. The Bulls would like to jettison Luol Deng out of Chi-town at this point. Other than that, no dice.

3. New Jersey Nets. If this Russian billionaire is like the one that's running Chelsea FC, they will be looking for a star. They struck out on Lebron (for now), so they train their eyes on Melo for the Barclays marquee. They can trade Derrick Favors, a gaggle of big men and possibly Devin Harris.

4. New York Knicks. Because they are Melo's top choice. Unfortunately, they don't exactly have the ammo for a deal. They'll need a conduit third team in the mix.

5. Philadelphia 76rs. The Sixers would be interesting if they can part with Iggy and/or Brand. Yes, Elton pretty much sucked since he left the Clips to sign that huge contract. Iggy played well in Istanbul, but he's a glue guy paid like a superstar (sort of what Rudy Gay is now).

6. Orlando Magic. They are so ridiculously deep that they can offload them onto someone and not miss a beat. Gortat / Bass would be included, as would probably Vince. Hey, they can jettison the rights to the coward named Fran Vasquez.

7. Washington Wizards. Melo grew up in Baltimore, so a hometown trip may be what he needs. He would also be relieving pressure on John Wall to become a scorer and focus more being a distributor. It's unlikely though because it will definitely involve Gilbert Arenas' contract, which is highly immovable.

8. Los Angeles Lakers. Imagine Melo with Kobe and Pau vis-a-vis the South Beach Diet of Wade, Lebron, and Bosh. They'll have to part with Odom and Bynum to do this, for starters. If Kupchak pulls this one off, God help us.

9. Houston Rockets. Given that Yao Ming is the Zydrunas Ilgauskas 2.0, Daryl Morey has some nice trade chips he can use to snag Melo (Kevin Martin or Luis Scola, but not both).

10. Atlanta Hawks. I just think that the Hawks need to shake their offensive lineup a little bit. I have a sense that there is not really much upside left and they need to fix it to compete with the upgrades that Miami and Boston conducted. A Melo-JR Smith for Joe Johnson-Marvin Williams swap could help both squads.

Blog Outsourcing: 9/20

Welcome to the Today's Edition of Sparty and Friends.

I dunno what's going on with state of education in your neck of the woods, but the interesting thing that's going on in the Motherland as of late, is that our Education Department has released a memo barring teachers in public schools (that may extend to private schools in the future) to assign homework on Fridays. The premise is that the students deserve to enjoy the weekend and that homework cuts into that time.

I would have bought the idea, if our educational system can handle getting the kids straightened out, but with all the woes and deficiencies, that puts a lot of pressures on the academe.

Then again, one could only be bitter with them getting the weekend off, something I never experienced when I was their age. Lucky kids.

In other news, the collegiate basketball final participants have been decided. The first game between my alma mater and Far Eastern University will take place on the 25th of September. We handily dispatched our Final Four opponent yesterday. Feels good. In addition, yesterday was a double whammy as my college alma mater's high school sealed their third consecutive title. Yup, the college is eager to get this guy into the college basketball scene.



Here are the Fantasy League Updates (for NFL, pending the MNF)

KWSN & Friends FFL:

Ateneo LA Clippers vs GoodJobSmackOnTheButt - 98-72 (Clip Show still has Pierre Thomas raring to go)

So Favrelicious vs Future Seahawks Death Penalty - 83-74 (So Favre still has Garrett Hartley ready to kick)

Chmuras Hot Tub Crime Machine vs Russell's Purple Drank - 96-79 (Tub has Marques Colston while Vernon Davis is taking the Purple Drank)

Name TBD vs Favre's Flip Flops - 67-103 (GITC needs Frank Gore to do a miracle)

Pigskin Pick'em

Week 2 results:

Brawny Tom had the best selection with 11. KWSN, Mikey and myself each have 10.

League Standings:

Brawny Tom has a 2-pt lead over KWSN (23 to 21). One pt. behind them is John and myself.

College Pick'em

Week 2 results:

Sparty, after laying a goose egg on Week 2, goes off with 49. KWSN has 47, while Johnny & Cabbage each have 46.

League Standings:

Patphish has 142, a slim 2-pt lead over KWSN. Trey is being trey with trey points further back.

Onto the Links!

The idea of a mercenary cheerleading outfit might just work.

This was his chance. Looks like he took advantage. Your move, Andy Reid.

Put it this way, there more lies a social construct to who you recruit. It comes with the territory. You just hope it pans out, right Urban? Meanwhile, said Gators were dispatching a woebegone Volunteers squad whose former coach lashed out a bitterness rant against another.

Football is always considered as an homage to gladitorial combat. Injuries come with the territory. Some just can't handle that.

Some people have way too much time on their hands, but this looks really cool.

Mike Singletary is very very underrated with the sound bytes, because we are overwhelmed with Rex Ryan ones.

Quo vadis, Joe Torre?

Relax, people! He has not kicked the bucket yet.

What he really means is that he really really loves beating the living soul out of the Mets.

Reasons why I have no inclination with tattoos.

Colorado pulling off their trademark Rocktober-fest.

One creative way to increase revenues.

He really left it all out on the field.

Rules that need revising. Seriously.

2 years of Beadle.

You all know what went on during the weekend, so proceed with discussions. Meanwhile's here's Dominic Monaghan and Megan Fox to send you off.

TWTWTNBA: The World Basketball Championships post-mortem

These are some of the things that we learned from the World Basketball Championships

1. Kevin Durant is ready to take the best player mantra right now. If there is any doubt that he is not among the best in the world, leading the so-called B-team to first gold medal in the tourney since Dream Team II erased all that. I think he will win the 2010-11 NBA MVP if Oklahoma City takes the next step.

2. Hidayet Turkoglu gets a bounce back year in his Phoenix debut. Nothing like playing well for your flag to rejuvenate you after a lousy season. It happened with AK-47 before.

3. Lithuania will be dangerous in the Eurobasket 2011. Finishing third in the tournament sure made things look good for a team with only one NBA player (Linas Kleiza) on the current roster. Watch out for a future NBA player named Donatas Montejunas on that roster by then.

4. The Serbian resurgence is primed up. I still cannot get over the Milos Teodosic bomb against Spain. Turkey needed a block in the final seconds to escape with a semifinal win. Like Lithuania, they only have one current NBA player (Nenad Krstic). And after that nasty incident in Greece, they surely needed this good set of news.

5. Luis Scola. Argentina had no Manu Ginobili and Andres Nocioni got hurt in the path to Istanbul. Already known as one of the most hardworking players in the NBA, he then raised it up a notch. He averaged 27.1 pts (tops in the Tourney), 7.9 rebounds (4th), 35.9 minutes (3rd), 56.6 % shooting (5th). With all the uncertainty surrounding Yao Ming, Luis Scola can surely fill the void.

6. Playing bodes well for the upcoming NBA season. The future of USA Basketball looks really good. Youngsters like Russell Westbrook, Eric Gordon and Stephen Curry really benefited from the experience. NBA fans now have an idea on certain players who will be coming in this season, like Mozgov for the Knicks, Splitter for the Spurs, Asik for the Bulls and Erden for the Celtics.

7. Hard to argue the best game of the tourney. Brazil vs Argentina (Scola vs Huertas showdown) or Spain vs Serbia (Teodosic bomb) or Turkey vs Serbia (The Block) would be the prime choices.

Blog Outsourcing - 9/13

Welcome to today's edition of Sparty and Friends.

Yup, football fever has taken over. Already 2 200+ comment posts and another 100+ comment post for the past 2 weekends. You guys surely love your football. Especially when the writers and commenters are either a Spartan, an Irish, a Gator, a Vol, a Nittany Lion, a Buckeye or a Yellowjacket or a Giant, a Jet, a Dolphin or a Patriot. I actually missed out on the commenting madness the past two days. To prepare for this post (as I always do), I had to backread the posts and comments to set the table as to what I am going to write home on.

As for me, I watched the final regular season game of my alma mater. We lost by 2 pts, but we could have won the game with the missed free throws and a missed layup in the final seconds. However, we already secured the twice to be advantage by winning our game last September 5 against the University of Santo Tomas (the game where you saw my picture from last week's TMA). The Final Four is scheduled this week. Hopefully, I can write home something positive from that and I can relate them to you on next week's TMA.

Oh, and the VMAs took place last night, where I found this picture of someone that our newest member of the S&F team would absolutely appreciate...

Now here are the links:

Johan is shut down. We wish him well.

Mariano Rivera blows one. He's fine, people. Then again, they need to get Andy Pettitte ready already. Oh, and that came after Nelson Cruz killed them. Rafael Soriano also blew one, too.

Cheers to the Twins. They get their 4,000th win.

NL MVP race still undecided, because Albert Pujols just made his presence felt. On the other hand, Domo Arigato, Mr. Joey Votto.

Welcome to Rocktober. After they stole one from the Reds, Jason Giambi gets his 1st hit against the Diamondbacks in style. That's 10 straight. They are now creeping closer to the NL West division lead, which is a toss-up by itself, thanks to Tim Lincecum.

The BCS Cartel pressed the Buffalo Wild Wings button. James Madison answered the call.

Shoelace better start practicing Desmond Howard.

Week 1 in a snapshot.

Matthew Stafford's hurt. Not good news for the Lions.

Alex Barron blew this game. He better pack his bags.

Saw this in a tweet. Might be funny yet true: Philly coach Andy Reid muttering, please stay injured... please stay injured...

Well, at least it is not due to overtraining, right?

Tony Dungy must be the NFL pontiff.

Yup, typical Jets fans.

To paraphrase a tagline of one of the Motherland's most well-known banks, You're in good hands, with Kevin Durant. But the 12 Giant Men gave them their all.

How much do you want for Ron Artest's championship ring?

Melo to Chi-town? Probably not.

Do you still remember the anti-Peyton Manning? While the real one got battered by Arian Foster.

Bruce Pearl must have learned this from Lane Kiffin. However, he is a lovable guy, so that's fine.

Johnny might be interested in this one.

This goes with the Robert Green and that Chaouchi Gaffe gallery.

Daytona gets a hi-tech face lift from someone who has never ever been there.

Terry Labonte doing a Brett Favre.

The Tafosi celebrate the Prancing Horse's win in the Italian GP, but this might be the real reason to celebrate.

Because you need to know what is going on in the Canadian Football League.

Kim Clijsters was successful in defending her crown. Unfortunately, Rafa's quest for the career Slam is delayed.

Floyd Mayweather's still getting headlines for all the wrong reasons. Still saying Floyd's a farce.

They must have had a really really bad case of diarrhea.

Are you excited for volleyball? Speaking of volleyball, the streak ended.

Parting videos... This one came from the recent Cheerdance competition that the Motherland was focusing on yesterday.


This one came from the VMAs. This one features the Real Slim Shady.

Eminem & Rihanna - Love The Way You Lie - Live MTV VMA 2010 from Infox on Vimeo.

Blog Outsourcing 9/6

Welcome to the latest edition of Sparty & Friends.

It's Labor Day in the United States, and I am pleased to say that my job will allow me to have the day off today. But writing blog posts is a 24/7 responsibility for the site and the quest to provide quality content is always a responsibility all of us writers have. It always helps to have readers suggest possible posts.

Whilst college football marked its opening this weekend, college basketball for my alma mater is picking up. One more game to go before the end of the regular season. Toting a 10-3 record, they are a game behind Far Eastern University, whom they will be facing this Saturday, September 11th. Yes, that is a significant date. We lost to them in the previous round robin, but one missed lay-up was the difference.

Meanwhile, yesterday I had the opportunity to watch them seal the twice-to-beat advantage in the Final Four, albeit in a scary fashion. The special thing about this game is that I watched the game at courtside level. I somehow lucked out in getting one, which costs slightly over $7. Usually, these particular seats are always snapped up, especially when it comes to rivalry games.

The experience of watching it down there is really great. It will probably be unlikely for a repeat with the playoffs looming, but I would like another crack at it.



Hereforth are the content action:

Revis Island is ready for the upcoming season. Caretakers like Randy Moss and Brandon Marshall are to be advised.

Final roster cuts have been made, some look bad, but others look deserving.

Vincent Jackson is still a Charger for now.

Steeler Nation ready for Charlie Batch?

The Padres are on a skid. Giants catching up.

Good thing the Rangers locked it up already, because injuries are piling up, with Josh Hamilton and Cliff Lee skipping. They botched one, too.

On the other hand, Rays and Yankees are on a dead heat still, as for the Red Sox? All Sawx fans are in FML mode.

Carpenter keeps things alive, but the story is about the Rasmus drama.

Atlanta and Philly in a NL East tug-of-war.

Immediate repercussions from the Chapel Hill mess.

Things looking good for the Irish, even their TV profile.

How was it in Jacksonville State, the day after?

Cardiac Finish! Prayers were answered. Sure helps to be 6'8"



Turkey and Slovenia advance. USA plays later against Angola and will face winner of Russia vs New Zealand.

Delonte in Boston makes sense.

So Floyd "apologizes." The smart people have figured that out already. As for the Pacquiao, he shrugged it off.

Parting shot: Since it was 90210 a few days ago...