Heard in the Cheap Seats

We are having some posting difficulties here at the moment, but my brother Anthony also wanted to share his eulogy from my Mom’’s funeral mass.  So though this comes under my name, this is Anthony’’s post.

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As Christopher already explained, we lost the best woman I have ever met recently.  Even though this site is dedicated to sports, we both decided to share our words from the day of her funeral mass with all of you.  You can call it a tribute, but all I know is that, the love and passion that my brother and I share of sports, has a lot to do with the nurturing of our mother.  She was at every game we ever played, took us to and from the thousands of practices we had for all the teams we played for.  She completely understood our passion then and as adults.  I know she was proud of both of us, and was a constant reader of this site and she will continue to watch over all of us like a guardian angel.  I hope we always make you proud, Mama.

Here are the words I spoke on Wednesday, September 16^th, 2009:

First, I would like to thank Monsignor Shoemaker and St. Ignatius.  Also, on behalf of my family I would like to thank everyone for being here.  The love and support of all our friends and family, not only in the past few days or during my mother’s illness, but throughout our lives is a blessing.  We are all very grateful for each and every one of you.

I think it is fitting that we would be here at St. Ignatius today, since many of my fondest childhood memories involve me playing basketball wearing the red and white Ignatius jersey on my back.  They also involve being in the old Ignatius gym playing on a floor that, to say it was dusty and slippery, was putting it mildly.  None of us could have been fairly called for traveling, since it was physically impossible to come to a complete stop!  I started forming many of my best friendships in those days with people that I am lucky to still call my friends more than 20 years later.  At each one of those memories was a familiar face.  A supportive and soothing voice: My Mother.  Or “Mama” as I always called her. That is a common theme in my life.  No matter what the situation or circumstance, she was there.  Not just for me, but for our entire family.  In the way she guided our family, she taught me the meaning of loyalty and unconditional love.

I’ll be honest, I had a tendency in my formative years to put that unconditional love to the test!  As some of you know. But, she never wavered in her support for me or her belief in me.  She didn’t always agree with my opinions, but she taught me to stand up for what I believe in.  So much of who I am as a man is a direct gift from my mother.  I certainly got myself into enough trouble growing up, but she always demanded that I was responsible for my own actions.  As I stand here today, I can honestly say that I try my best to be accountable for everything I say and do.

As I mentioned before, my mother had an unconditional love and commitment to this family.  She believed in each one of us.  Because of her I built up the courage to move to Los Angeles to pursue acting, even though I didn’t know anyone out there.  When I had doubts, it was that same soothing voice from my childhood that was at every baseball, football, and basketball game or anything that I ever did that comforted me and got me to believe in myself.  The same voice that when, as a young kid I complained that I thought my lips were too big, simply reassured me by saying “Trust me, they will come in handy someday.”  She didn’t always tell me or anyone what they wanted to hear, but somehow it always seemed to be the right thing to say.

To know my mother was to love her.  No matter whether it was as a wife, a mother, a grandmother, a family member, or a friend.  She had that amazing intelligence and sharp wit.  The saying that someone could “dish it as well as they could take it” usually didn’t apply to her because she could dish it so well that it was hard to dish back.  She never lost that West Philly toughness and I loved that about her.  People have always told me that I look like her and that I am a lot like her.  I can’t think of a greater compliment because she was beautiful inside and out.  She was the ultimate host, whether it was down the shore or in Pennsylvania. As my friends can all attest to, it was impossible to come in or out of our house without being fed.  And she did it all with those bright blue eyes and amazing smile that I always loved seeing.

I wanted to share something with all of you today.  Something that was very special between my mother and me.  On Mother’s Day, when I was about 20 years old, I gave my mother a card.  Now, I have never been the best at conveying my deepest emotions, so in the card I simply asked her to push play on the stereo to listen to a song I had cued up.  The song was and is a perfect representation of my relationship with my mother.  I told her to her to listen to the words because they were me saying them to her.  The song was written by Kenneth B. Edmonds, better known as Babyface and performed by Boyz 2 Men for the movie “Soul Food”.  It was one of the few times I saw tears in my mother’s eyes.  I wanted to read them out loud for all of you today.

You taught me everything
And everything youve given me
I always keep it inside
Youre the driving force in my life, yeah
There isnt anything
Or anyone I can be
And it just wouldnt feel right
If I didnt have you by my side
You were there for me to love and care for me
When skies were grey
Whenever I was down
You were always there to comfort me
And no one else can be what you have been to me
Youll always be you always will be the girl
In my life for all times

I have been doing a lot of thinking recently and I believe that my mother saved her greatest lesson of all for last.  In the past few years she showed us what courage and faith were all about.  I know that it was a lesson that I personally needed.  My mother never questioned her faith in God and she was never scared because she knew that was going to a better place whenever the day came.  She helped me believe.  I know that already her and my grandfather are running the busiest and best tasting Italian restaurant in heaven. I will honor her by being the best man for my family and friends that she taught me how to be.  I starting thinking the other day about the fact that I’ll never dance with my mother at my wedding or see her play with my kids.  I started thinking about all the things that our family won’t experience with my mother because she is no longer with us.  And that’s when the final lesson kicked in for me.  She will always be with me and our family for all those moments.  That same soothing voice, and comforting presence.  Just like she has all the days up until now.  I love you Mama.  All the way behind my back.

THANK YOU

As anyone that used to read this blog on a regular basis has realized by now, my brother and I have been completely absent from the Philly sports blogging scene for the better part of this past summer.  This has gnawed at both of us as we enjoy coming on here and spouting off about Philly sports.   Unfortunately, we had some family issues that took priority over the past few months.  Our Mom was in the midst of an extremely difficult battle with Melanoma.  On 9/11, our mom passed away at the age of 59 after her courageous fight .

I have thought quite a bit about posting this to the blog.  It was a deeply personal time for my family and I wondered if opening it up to the public was the right thing to do.  And even now, I’m not sure why I decided to post this here other than to pay one last tribute to my Mom that I miss so much. 

Anthony and I gave the eulogy at my Mom’s funeral.  In looking back at the words I spoke exactly one week ago today I realized that perhaps there was something for everyone to learn.  So in order to honor my Mom’s memory, I have decided to post here the eulogy I gave last Wednesday.  I know that this is way off topic from our stated mission here, and I would understand if you decide to skip right over this post.  After this, we will be back in action and returning to our regularly scheduled programming. 

But until then, here it goes…

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First, on behalf of my family, I wanted to take a moment to thank everyone for being here today.  All you have to do is look around this room to get a sense for the type of person my Mom was and how loved she was by so many people.  I know many of you had to come a long way to be here today and my family and I are extremely grateful.

As many of you know, my Mom grew up in West Philly.  We often teased her, lovingly of course, about those roots.  And even though she would hate to admit it, I think the gritty, blue-collar attitude of Philadelphia is something that never left her.

It was evident in the way she preferred to teach us as kids.  You see, my Mom was more of a “lead-by-example” kind of parent.  Aside from the times when she would tell us “do you know what fat chance means?” upon making some outlandish request, or “don’t say sorry, just don’t do it,” we often had to look a little closer for the lessons my Mom was teaching us.  But make no mistake: she had plenty of lessons to teach, she just preferred to live them rather than simply preach them.  

In thinking back, there were a number of times when my Mom used opportunities to teach us important lessons and I thought I would share a few of those with you today.

About 21 years ago when my Mom was pregnant with my sister one of those moments presented itself to us.  At the time, my Mom was driving an Oldsmobile Delta 88.  I don’t know if you are familiar with that car but it was approximately the same length as a Boeing 747.  The thing was massive and in order to make any sort of turn you ultimately had to have 10 feet of car jutting out into the road before you could even see the oncoming traffic.  One of those times, she was trying to make a left-hand turn onto a busy street.  The guy behind her needed to make a right and wasn’t able to go until my Mom turned.  He took it upon himself to lay on the horn for a solid minute to voice his displeasure.  Now remember, my Mom was 7 months pregnant at this time but that didn’t stop her from putting the car in park, walking up to the gentleman’s car and leaning halfway through the passenger side window to politely inform him she didn’t care how much of a rush he was in she wasn’t going to turn into traffic with two kids in the car and one on the way.  In this moment, my Mom taught us a valuable lesson: no matter how much pressure you may feel and even if it is not the easy route, don’t ever stray from what you know in your heart is the right thing to do.

Another important lesson revealed itself when I was in eighth grade.  I was playing basketball for St. Ignatius and we were in a tournament in New Jersey.  As was always the case, my Mom was sitting in the stands cheering me on.  Late in the game, I went up for a layup and came down awkwardly on my foot.  At a timeout, I told my Mom that I was pretty certain I had broken my toe.  In a loving, comforting tone, my Mom responded: “You’ll be fine; get back out there.”  As it turns out, I did break my toe during that game.  My Mom however was teaching me yet another important lesson: when people depend and count on you, never let them down no matter how painful it might be.

Along those same lines, during my years as a lifeguard in Sea Isle I thought it was a wise idea to compete in a six-mile bay row.  Now, if you know anything about my rowing prowess and the fact that my legs couldn’t reach the seat in front of me in the boat, you know this was not a wise decision.  But I was determined.  The race went pretty much as you would expect.  Just about every boat raced passed us and we were left chasing the pack.  But about 5.5 miles into the race, with every boat already finished and daylight in short supply, I heard the sound of my Mom’s voice.  She had walked up a bridge that was over the inlet and was screaming at the top of her lungs.  I’m not sure I would have finished that last ½ mile without her.  But my Mom knew one important thing: you should always be there for your family and friends, no matter how long you may have to wait or how dark it gets.

And my Mom saved perhaps her most important lesson for last.  As she continued to fight during her illness her commitment and courage were unwavering.  And the lesson was clear: a person’s faith and courage is not defined when times are easy.  A person’s true faith and courage is measured when times are tough.  My Mom’s faith never faltered and her courage was limitless.

At times growing up, I could be frustrated by the “lead by example” way of my Mom.  I didn’t understand why I had to search for meaning all the time.  Now I do.  You see, the thing is, because my Mom led by example, I know she is not done teaching us yet—we might just have to listen a little closer. 

Thank you.

I have not written anything for this blog in over 3 weeks.  When I started doing this with my brother, my goal was to write posts about Philly sports that spark discussion or invoke thoughts.  I am very opinionated when it comes to sports and most things in general, and I have always tried to make my opinions very clear.  When I started doing this, I wanted to be able to fill this site with tons of different content, and I believe my brother and I have done that.  We will continue to do that, and we have some bigger and better ideas and plans for this website.

Unfortunately, recently I haven’t produced much of anything.  I will try in the future not to lapse as much as I have done this month.  There has been a lot going on in Philly sports, and I plan to throw my two cents in on some of the main issues in the coming days.  It has been an exhausting month and continues to be, but I think my head is back to a place where I can focus on writing for this website.  I hope everyone out there continues to read and comment with their own opinions.  Thanks for your past readership and thank you in advance for following this site.

I am not going to link anything, nor am I going to waste space on this site actually talking about this.  All I have to say is, there are a lot of good blogs out there, and there are a lot that are just jackasses starving for attention.  I am glad that we are associated with quite a few good writers who actually have interesting things to say and don’t use their sites strictly for attention and to make ludicrous comments with no substance.  I am sure most of you who read this blog know what I am referring to, so I’ll leave it at that.  If I ever fall prey to these kinds of tactics, please find me, take my computer smash it over head, and then repeatedly punch me in the face until I remember what the whole point of being able to write for a blog is supposed to be.

I was originally going to do a huge breakdown of the NBA Finals, but I decided not to.  Why?  Honestly, I just can’t stomach writing about these two teams in depth.  I can’t stand the Lakers, and the Magic ended the Sixers and are coached by one of the most annoying people in the NBA, and that’s saying something.  I love NBA basketball and I will be watching, but I just can’t subject myself to a full breakdown.  At least, not for free.  I will instead just do a brief breakdown and give you my pick for the series.  I should mention that I almost always pick against the Lakers and am usually wrong when I do.

I think conventional wisdom says that now that the Lakers have reached the Finals, they will win.  Their propensity to get bored and not show up likely won’t happen now that the end is in sight.  Everyone is saying that Kobe Bryant can cement his legacy by winning a championship without Shaq.  On the other side, you have the Orlando Magic, who are seemingly occupying the space that was supposed to be reserved for LeBron James and the Cavs.  I’ll admit that they have surprised me.  They are firing on all cylinders now.  This series will be closer than some people think.  It comes down to how well Andrew Bynum and Pau Gasol guard Dwight Howard and how well the Lakers cover the Magic shooters.  If the Magic somehow continue to shoot at a blistering rate, they can win.  Kobe Bryant will do his thing, but I think the key will be Rashard Lewis.  If he can be huge in this series, the Magic can pull the upset.  He creates matchup problems for every single team in the NBA.  On the other side, Kobe needs either Gasol or Odom to contribute somewhere around 20 points and 10 boards.  The Magic beat the Lakers twice during the season, because they are pretty much impossible to guard when they are moving the ball.  It will be an exciting, high scoring series, that’s for sure.

My brain tells me to pick the Lakers, but it is extremely hard for me to that.  I really don’t want to see that smug look on Bryant’s face when he wins his 4^th ring.  Unfortunately, I think that’s what we’ll see.  Although, maybe my pick can put a reverse jinx on the Lakers and then watch as Kobe disses his teammates.  LAKERS IN 7

Some people who read this blog may already know this, and some may not.  But, this is a site run by 2 brothers, one being myself (Anthony) and the other being my younger brother (Chris).  Well, we have been very slow in our contributions to this site of late, but I assure everyone it is for a good reason.  Our family has been prepping for and celebrating the wedding of my brother, who is now on his honeymoon with his beautiful wife.  It has been a long, fun, and exciting two weeks, and we hope to get back to writing as much as we previously were.  Of course, I am not sure that anyone actually cares about any of this, but now you know, so there’s no turning back! 

It is time for my breakdowns on the NBA Conference Finals.  I have been accurate on all but one of my series predictions so far.  I felt the Celtics had enough in the tank to pull out another 7 game series win, but it turns out they didn’t.  It’s funny because so many fans, including myself, were looking forward to a possible Celtics/Cavs series, but would the tired and short handed Celtics been able to give the Cavs even a little resistance?  I doubt it.  So, maybe the two Conference Finals series that we are left with are the best possible match ups we could have asked for.  So, on to my picks…

Orlando vs. Cleveland

I have been hearing a lot of talk about the Magic being confident after their Game 7 win on Boston’s home floor.  I don’t want to take anything away from Orlando, but…Well, maybe I do want to take something away.  The Celtics had nothing in the tank after Game 5!  Nothing!  Brian Scalabrine was getting tons of minutes.  Seriously, people, winning that game was nice for the psyche of the Magic, but once they hit the floor against Cleveland they are facing a whole different animal.  Cleveland didn’t need some bogus win against a dead legged team to validate themselves, they already know they are good.  Very good.  Like, haven’t even come close to losing a playoff game good.  Don’t get me wrong, the Magic will pose some problems for the vaunted Cleveland defense to solve.  They run a unique offense that surrounds Dwight Howard with 4 shooters.  The Cavaliers must decide how they are going to defend Howard, but my guess is they will mix it up with a variety of defenders and defensive looks.  They will certainly double team, especially given the fact that their rotations and close outs are a staple of their defense.  When the Cavs, double, they may decide that the double team will come from whoever is guarding Rafer Alston.  If Alston is draining jumpers, so be it.  I know that the Magic had quite a bit of offensive success in their two home victories over Cleveland during the regular season, but I think the playoff version of the Cavs is too focused to allow the Magic to score at will.  LeBron James has the ability and energy to play shut down defense on either Rashard Lewis or Hedo Turkoglu.  The interesting thing will be how Orlando guards the combo of and Ilgauskas.  No matter which one Howard guards, the Cavs will use screen and rolls to get him away from the basket, and both big men for the Cavs can hit the outside shot, particularly Ilgauskas.  For the Cavs, defensively Ilgauskas may be a bit of a liability because he does not have the athleticism to guard any of the Magic big men.  It will be a battle of strategy, as usual to create as many mismatches and uncomfortable defensive situations as possible.  The Magic will likely look to push the tempo whenever possible so that Cleveland does not have a chance to set their defense.  Both teams have solid benches that can contribute on a nightly basis.  I think the Magic will make this series competitive, but there are 2 words that will likely be the difference: LeBron James.  There is no one on Orlando’s roster that has a prayer of stopping James.  They will have to do their best to make James pass out of traps and double teams and keep him out of the lane as much as they can.  I just don’t think that will be enough.  He may average a triple double in this series.  CAVS IN 5

Denver vs. Los Angeles

At the beginning of the playoffs, it seemed like a foregone conclusion that the Lakers would be back in the NBA Finals for the second consecutive year.  Then we all watched the Lakers Jekyll and Hyde act throughout the playoffs.  Add to that the fact that Denver has been almost as dominating as Cleveland in the postseason, and we may have a helluva series on our hands.  The Nuggets are a much improved defensive teams, but they are still vulnerable, especially against a team like the Lakers.  If the combination of Gasol, Bynum, and Odom are clicking and playing well, they can create issues for Denver.  Kenyon Martin is an athletic and aggressive defender, but he does not have the size to defend Gasol or Bynum, nor does Nene.  Dahntay Jones will go toe to toe with Kobe Bryant, and Bryant will need to be extremely aggressive in this series, especially with Derek Fisher struggling.  Jones cannot stop Kobe Bryant.  On the other end, the Lakers will likely use Ariza to guard Carmelo Anthony and use Bryant on Billups to try and neutralize Billups a little bit.  Billups is very good and getting buckets in transition, so the Lakers will need to find him immediately.  I have never been impressed with the Lakers defense.  There are games where it looks pretty good and games where it is horrible, and to me that is the sign of a team who doesn’t have the right kind of attitude to maintain consistent defensive effort. A team like Denver should be able to rack up the points on Los Angeles, in my opinion. This has a chance to be a high scoring series, but I feel like the Nuggets have more consistent offensive weapons.  Gasol and Bryant are the only two Lakers playing with any consistency right now.  The Lakers have the home court advantage and they have Kobe Bryant, so my pick scares me.  I keep bouncing back and forth on this one.  I wouldn’t be shocked to see the Lakers win in it seven games, but I going the other way.  NUGGETS IN 6

I think everybody should be able to toot their own horn every once in awhile.  So, I will take this opportunity to pat myself on the back for calling every first round NBA series correctly almost down to the game.  Now, to be fair I am sure I’m not the only one.  I don’t think these series were too difficult to predict, but I will bask in the glow of being right for a change.  As Sidney Deane (Wesley Snipes) famously said, “Even the sun shines on a dog’s ass some days.”  The sun is shining on my ass today, even though the rain is pouring down!  Obviously, there was one pick (the Sixers) that I would have gladly gotten wrong, but we all know how that turned out.  It’s time to see if I can keep my perfection going with my picks for the conference semifinals.  So, without further ado…

EASTERN CONFERENCE

ATLANTA vs. CLEVELAND

The Cavs won 3 of the four meetings during the regular season, but it wasn’t easy.  The Hawks are extremely tough to beat at home, so I think they will play well against Cleveland in their building.  The problem is, Atlanta is far too inconsistent, and when things don’t go well for them they tend to implode.  Obviously LeBron James will do what he does, but I also think that Cleveland can create a lot of problems for the Hawks by using Ilgauskas in screen and rolls and even in the post.  Atlanta has a lot of athletic big men, so they will likely try to take advantage on the offensive end by making the Cavs big men move.  I think a lot of people underestimate how good the Hawks are when they defend and are clicking on offense.  But, I am a big fan of Mo Williams’ game, and I feel that he will dominate Mike Bibby in this series and that will be the difference.  I also think rebounding will be a big key in this series.  Cleveland must control the defensive glass, because if Josh Smith, Horford, etc are able to crash the offensive boards effectively, that will create big problems for Cleveland.  As always, turnovers will be crucial as well.  To me, the only chance the Hawks have of defeating the Cavs is if they can find a way to turn them over.  If Cleveland takes care of the basketball they will be near impossible to beat.  Atlanta needs a great series from Joe Johnson.  The Hawks did a nice job offensively against Cleveland during the regular season, but in the playoffs the Cavs will be allowed to be much more physical.  I will not be surprised at all if the Hawks struggle to score for much of the series.  Like I said, I think most people think this will be a complete cakewalk for Cavs, but I see it being a least somewhat tense.  I just don’t see LeBron James allowing Cleveland to bow out in the 2^nd round.  CAVS IN 6

ORLANDO vs. BOSTON

This is a tough one for me to even think about.  On one hand, there is the Orlando Magic, the team that ended the Sixers season led by a pompous coach/porn star look alike.  On the other hand there is the Boston Celtics, and even though my father is from Beantown, and 2 of my siblings live there, I hate everything about Boston sports.  Oh well, I guess I can handle 5 minutes of thought about this series.  The two teams split their 4 meetings during the season, but both Boston losses came in games when Kevin Garnett was either out of the lineup or missed much of the game.  It was obvious in the Bulls series, that without Garnett on the floor, and now without Leon Powe, the Celtics are not the nearly as strong defensively.  Boston sort og transformed themselves in that series into a scoring machine.  After 7 grueling games against the Bulls, do the Celtics have anything left in the tank?  I think they do.  One of the reasons I believe that the Celtics have a good chance of winning this series is that Orlando did not impress in the first round against the Sixers.  However, a big problem for Boston will be defending Dwight Howard.  Will they double team and leave Orlando’s shooters open, or try and play it the way the Sixers did and stay home on the shooters.  With injuries to Garnett and Powe, the Celtics are thin on the front line, and if Perkins gets into foul trouble the Celtics could have serious problems.  On the flip side, for the first 2 games at least, Courtney Lee will be out of the lineup and replaced by J.J. Redick.  The Celtics will abuse Redick with Ray Allen.  Paul Pierce will likely create match-up problems for Orlando because Lewis or Turkoglu cannot guard him.  I think Stan Van Gundy will counter with the length and athleticism of Pietrus off the bench for defensive purposes.  Boston will likely try to figure out ways to get Dwight Howard out of the lane defensively.  I do believe that Orlando can create some issues for Boston as well.  Rashard Lewis has a chance for a big series.  No matter who Pierce has to defend in this series, he will have a tough match-up.  This will be a series of adjustments for sure.  The “X” factor in this series in my opinion is Rajon Rondo.  The dude is becoming a superstar right before our eyes, and the Magic have no one that can guard him.  If Rondo has a monster series, the Celtics win.  If he struggles, the Celtics lose.  I’m betting on the former.  CELTICS IN 7

WESTERN CONFERENCE

HOUSTON vs. LOS ANGELES

There is only one team that I can’t stand just as much as the Boston Celtics.  That team is the Los Angeles Lakers.  It was painful to listen to Laker fans run their mouths while I lived there for the past 5 years.  But, I am also not an idiot, so I won’t pretend that the Lakers aren’t a very good basketball team.  I think this series is really about one thing: Can a very good Rockets defense stop the Lakers high powered offense?  We all know what Kobe Bryant can do, but he is far from the only weapon for L.A.  Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom are as skilled offensively as any forwards in the NBA.  Houston has all the components of a great defensive team, but L.A. is very comfortable on the offensive end.  It should be fun to watch Battier and Artest do battle with Kobe Bryant.  The Lakers had problems in the NBA Finals last year with Boston’s physical play.  Houston is certainly physical, and the Lakers will have to keep Houston off the offensive glass.  As good as the Rockets are on the defensive end, the Lakers will combat that with precision passing and cutting.  Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom will be big in this series.  I’m not sure Houston has an answer for Gasol.  The Lakers have never impressed me with their defense, but the Rockets are not the type of offensive team that can really give the Lakers huge problems.  Houston relies on post play and screens.  They need to find ways to get Ron Artest into mismatches.  Houston does not really have players that will penetrate the Laker defense.  All this being said, the Rockets still have a chance.  They need to play mean and aggressive on both ends of the floor.  Houston has the size and strength to frustrate the Lakers.  If the Rockets are able to dominate the glass, this will be a close series.  I am not sure that the Rockets can win a game in Los Angeles and they are going to have to.  One final thought: It’s hard to ever refer to Kobe Bryant as an “X” factor, but in my opinion he is in this series.  The reason is that if these games are close, the Rockets don’t have anyone who can put the team on their back, and the Lakers obviously do.  His name is Kobe Bryant.  LAKERS IN 6

DALLAS vs. DENVER

This is a tough series to pick.  Both of these teams seem to be perennial under achievers.  But, Denver is now led by a proven winner in Chauncey Billups, and Dallas seems to finally be thriving with Jason Kidd at the helm.  This should be a fast paced and exciting series.  Offensively, there is a lot of firepower on both sides, and both teams can defend well at time during a game.  The match-ups are interesting across the board.  Now that Barea is starting, Chauncey Billups may have a big advantage there.  Dirk Nowitzki has struggled in the past with athletic defenders like Kenyon Martin, but Nowitzki is playing as well as I have ever seen him play.  Josh Howard has the strength and quickness to at least make Carmelo Anthony work for his buckets.  The most exciting aspect of this series could end up being the play of the benches.  Jason Terry and J.R Smith will come off the bench shooting for their respective teams.  Denver is tough to beat at home, and the Mavs have notoriously struggled in big games on the road.  Dallas is going to need Dirk Nowitzki to carry them in this series.  Denver won all 4 meetings during the season but they were games that could have gone either way.  In the end though, I think Denver has more balance than the Mavs.  In match-ups where two teams are similar, I look to the point guard, and Chauncey Billups has the upper hand in this series.  I also think that Denver is a better defensive team, and when teams are able to frustrate Nowitzki, the Mavs struggle.  This should be a very fun series to watch and each coach will be trying to find ways to create as many offensive match-up problems as possible.  I just think Denver will be a little bit better in this series. NUGGETS IN 7

There you have it.  I could have done crazy in depth breakdowns but I think I will save up that energy for the Conference Finals and the Finals.  Now, that the Sixers have been bounced, as a basketball my hope is that a few of these series can come close to being as entertaining as the Bulls and Celtics series was.  Enoy the games!

The Philadelphia Eagles rumor mill continues to swirl at break neck pace. Just as soon as it looked the Eagles might pull of a trade for future Hall-of-Famer Tony Gonzalez it appears the disgruntled TE has been traded to the Atlanta Falcons for a 2010 second-round pick (according to Jay Glazer).

It has been thought all along that the Eagles would not be willing to pony up a second round pick for the 33-year old TE. Apparently, the Falcons finally bent to the will of the Chiefs and provided the pick Scott Pioli desired.

Gonzo would have looked great in midnight green but the asking price was too steep for the Eagles front office.

I have to admit that as I am typing this, there are already 2 NBA playoff games in the books.  The Cavs crushed the Pistons and the Celtics went down in overtime to the Bulls.  Still, I’m sure no one thinks I was going to pick the Pistons to take out the Cavaliers and I’m still picking the Celtics, so don’t accuse me of cheating.  Well, you can, but I won’t listen.  So, I wanted to quickly get out my first round picks, with the exception of the Sixers series because we will take a closer look at that series tomorrow.  I won’t go into great depth on my picks in this round, but at least they will be out for all to see and then bet the opposite if they want to win money.

EASTERN CONFERENCE

CLEVELAND vs. DETROIT

Like I said, currently the Cavs are already up 1-0 in this series.  Honestly, this is an easy series to pick.  I know that Rip Hamilton was talking a couple weeks ago about how the Pistons are the team that nobody wants to play, but I think the Pistons quit on this season a long time ago.  On the other hand, you have a Cleveland team led by a determined LeBron James.  The Cavs are far superior in every single area, except experience.  This is not the same Piston team who went to 6 straight conference finals.  The leader of those teams, Chauncey Billups, is now in Denver, and these Pistons don’t defend like they used to.  There is a lot of pride in players like Tayshaun Prince and Rip Hamilton, so they may make a couple games close, but in the end, I think the Cavs get a series sweep and await their next opponent.  CAVS IN 4

BOSTON vs. CHICAGO

Boston has already lost in a great overtime game, and this was a series that was tough for me to pick.  When the news broke that Kevin Garnett would likely miss the entire playoffs, I started looking at this series as a possible upset.  Derrick Rose continues to play better and better, and the Bulls are fast and athletic and have streaky outside shooters in Ben Gordon and John Salmons who can throw up points in bunches when they are hitting.  I think the key for the Celtics is going to be to make Derrick Rose as much of a jump shooter as they can.  They have the athletes to play great help defense as they have shown, and it is imperative that they make the Bulls hit shots.  Another key will be to keep the Bulls off the offensive glass.  The Bulls have some extremely athletic in Joakim Noah and Tyrus Thomas who can hit the glass hard and create a ton of second chance opportunities.  Perkins, Powe, and Davis are going to need to be strong on the defensive boards.  One huge key for the Celtics will be the play of Rajon Rondo.  With Garnett out, Rondo will need to play more of a scoring roll, and he must play well.  If Rondo has a tough series, the Celtics don’t stand a chance.  I still think the Celtics, led by Pierce and Allen will be able to figure out a way to beat the Bulls.  The Bulls will have a few games in this series where the outside shot is not falling and when that happens for them, they become a lot easier to defend.  CELTICS IN 7

ATLANTA vs. MIAMI

This is an interesting series.  The Hawks took the Celtics to seven games last year and gained valuable playoff experience in the process.  They are a very tough team at home and they can run or play in the half court by running their offense through Joe Johnson.  On the other side, the Heat have Dwyane Wade.  There are people who think that Wade will carry the Heat to the second round.  Joe Johnson will likely guard Wade, but you can bet that the Hawks will be doubling Wade as much as possible in order to get the ball out of his hands.  Other than Jermaine O’Neal and Wade, most of the Heat are not playoff tested, and I’m not sure they are playoff ready.  I think the Heat will struggle to score in this series. HAWKS IN 6

WESTERN CONFERENCE

LOS ANGELES vs. UTAH

I am going to keep this one simple.  The Jazz were playing better basketball last year and lost to the Lakers in 5 games without Andrew Bynum.  The Jazz can’t seem to defend and have no prayer of winning games on the road.  There are terrible matchups all over the court in favor of the Lakers.  Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum, Lamar Odom, oh, and some guy named Kobe Bryant will be able to score at will against the Jazz.  Last year’s series was actually entertaining, but this year will not be.  LAKERS IN 4

DENVER vs. NEW ORLEANS

I kept wavering on this one, but the main reason was because I kept thinking about previous Nuggets teams.  But, this year’s version is much different than those in past seasons.  They are now led by one of the most clutch performers and an NBA Finals MVP in Chauncey Billups.  Even crazier is the fact that the Nuggets actually play defense this year.  Denver will be running at every chance they get in this series, and no matter how great Chris Paul is, I just don’t think New Orleans has enough scoring or depth to keep up with Denver.  I think Carmelo Anthony is going to have a huge series.  Chris Paul and David West will have their moments as well, but not enough to come out on top. NUGGETS IN 6

SAN ANTONIO vs. DALLAS

Do the Spurs have any kind of a run in them without Manu Ginobili?  Well, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan can never be counted out, and you can bet that Greg Popovich will devise a defensive scheme to make things difficult for the Mavericks.  Dallas is playing probably their best basketball of the season right now.  Jason Kidd has looked like he has developed some nice chemistry with his teammates and Jason Terry is on fire.  Jason Terry is the “X” factor here.  If he continues to come off the bench and knock down shot after shot I think the Mavs will be tough to beat.  I am not sure the Spurs have that run in them this year.  MAVS IN 6

PORTLAND vs. HOUSTON

This has the makings of an excellent series.  Portland seems to be everyone’s pick to challenge the Lakers.  This will likely be a coming out party for Brandon Roy for the people that have yet to see him play.  I think rebounding will be crucial in this series, as well as Houston’s experience.  Portland is probably a year away from making a playoff run.  If Ron Artest is allowed to play his physical style, the Rockets defense becomes very hard to score on.  This will be a physical series, but in the end Houston’s experience prevails. ROCKETS IN 6

In the spirit of April Fools (is there such a thing as the spirit of April Fools?), I wanted to have a little fun.  I don’t want to write a bunch of fake stories and throw a good old April Fools joke in at the end.  I thought I would throw together a few recent sports headlines that actually happened.  However, because it is April Fools, these are headlines that would normally seem like they were an April Fools joke and then became real.  I will also throw together some fun April Fools headlines that aren’t real.  I probably won’t stick to just Philly sports, but who knows where my mind will lead me.  So, first the real events that prior to them happening, would have made perfectly good April Fools jokes…

-          Brian Dawkins Signs With Denver Broncos

-          Brett Myers works a 9 pitch walk from C.C. Sabathia and draws a standing ovation

-          World Ph#$#ing Champions!!!

-          McNabb is benched at Halftime

-          World Series clinching game takes 4 days to play

-          Billy King is hired as an analyst for NBA TV

-          Marty Biron “stands on his head”

-          Eagles go with defensive tackle as #1 FB

-          Hank Baskett bags a Playmate

-          Eagles fans want Kolb instead of McNabb (Note: Not all of them, but seriously?)

-          After hitting a huge pinch hit home run in the NLCS Matt Stairs says, “When you get that nice celebration coming into the dugout and you’re getting your ass hammered by guys—there’s no better feeling than to have that done.”

-          Willie Green is a starting 2 guard in the NBA (sorry, couldn’t help it)

-          Tony DiLeo is Sixers new head coach

-          Jimmy Rollins is DH behind Derek Jeter for Team U.S.A.

-          Terrell Owens is in Buffalo

-          Jay Cutler wants out of Denver

-          Alex Rodriguez took steroids (Wait, nevermind, we all knew that)

-          Isaiah Thomas may be hired by Clippers

-          Arizona Cardinals play in a Super Bowl

Ok, I ran out of ideas on that, so maybe some people out there have some good ones to add.  Now, we are moving on to headlines that are truly for April Fools…

-          Eagles wide receiver leads the league in TD receptions

-          Eagles run/pass ratio is 54/46

-          Andy Reid is on the cover of Men’s Health magazine

-          Donovan McNabb demands a trade to Buffalo to be reunited with T.O.

-          Just to “shake things up”  Andy Reid switches defensive line to OL and vice versa

-          In order to build up the public support for himself, Kevin Kolb starts showing up around town with Heather Mitts

-          Eagles retire Koy Detmer’s neck beard

-          It is revealed that all this time Joe Banner was under the impression that the team would be fined $1 million dollars for any player over 34 on the roster

-          McNabb is diagnosed with a nasty case of IBS that takes about 3 hours after a meal for the symptoms to occur.  We then find out that he has a huge meal just prior to kickoff.

-          Andy Reid admits he had a “man crush” on Greg Lewis

-          Eagles fans ranked the classiest in the NFL by major national media outlets

-          A story is actually done about Philly fans that doesn’t mention booing Santa Clause

-          Charlie Manuel is voted “Interview of The Year”

-          Brett Myers reveals, “I pitch better when I’m drunk.”

-          Ryan Howard wins a Gold Glove

-          Jamie Moyer throws a fastball that hits 85 on the radar gun and is immediately tested for steroids

-          Sixers are a 3 point shooting machine

-          Thaddeus Young admits that he is really Shannon Sharpe

-          Aaron Mckie shares his secrets on the proper way to paint on a beard

-          Samuel Dalembert finally “gets it”

-          Reggie Evans doesn’t infuriate me

-          Sixers realize that Marreese Speights should play more than 8 minutes

-          Standing room only for all Sixers games at the Wachovia Center

-          Ed Snider admits that he hates basketball and actually forgot he owns the team

-          Reggie Evans and Bob Salmi are spotted in Fairmount Park…Holding each others hands, and their lunch pails

-          Prior to a playoff series Cleveland coach Mike Brown is asked what worries him about a match up with the Sixers, and he says, “We have to get a hand in the face of their shooters, especially Iguodala, and the low post presence of Dalembert is something we have to stop.”

-          Paul Holmgren trades Jeff Carter, Simon Gagne, and Claude Giroux, and explains it by saying, “We need more tough guys.  That’s what wins in today’s NHL.  If I could have 20 Riley Cote’s on my team, I would.”

-          Eric Lindros and Bobby Clarke are seen vacationing in Ocean City together

-          John Stevens and Paul Holmgren decide to eliminate all goalies from the roster

-          Holmgren says trading Upshall for Carcillo happened because he lost a side bet in a hand of poker

-          John Calipari hires John Chaney as his assistant at Kentucky

-          Kobe Bryant is voted Teammate of the Year

-          Greg Oden’s birth certificate is found and shows he was actually born in 1957

-          Sam Cassell is a martian!

-          Dick Vitale says something negative about Duke or North Carolina

-          Jay Bilas states that his favorite player of all time was Gumby due to his “infinite length”

-          A real National Champion is decided in college football

Honestly, I could go on and on, but I won’t.  Maybe some people out there have some great ones to add.  I have a ton, but it would become never ending.  Please add any funny April Fools headlines, either real ones or fake to the comments if you have any.  Happy April Fools!