Some funny things that are EXACTLY the same between Jeremy Lin and John Starks, another “out of nowhere” Knicks star.

·      They were both undrafted.

·      They were both originally signed by the Golden State Warriors.

·      They were both released from the Golden State Warriors.

·      They then played in the minor leagues of NBA for their days (NBDL and CBA.)

·      After minor leagues, they were both signed by the New York Knicks. 

·      They made 10 field goals their first games against the New Jersey Nets.

·      They scored 25 points in their first games against the New Jersey Nets.

·      They were both born in the month of August.

Tale of Tape: SIMILAR details but not identical details between the two.

·      Starks is 6’5; Lin is 6’3

·      Starks weighs 190 lbs; Lin weighs 200 lbs.

·      During their first seven starts, Starks won five games; Lin won six games

 ·     Starks’ career average was 2 rebounds for every point; Lin’s is 2.4

China is the worldwide leader in cloning research…just saying.

The physical demands of an NBA referee are a lot for these old guys to handle. Its not exactly easy to be a 5’3, 60-year old chasing around a school of the worlds greatest athletes. These refs continually position themselves in awful angles to catch a foul, and in turn end up blowing the whistle either prematurely or not at all.

Although FIFA catches a lot of flack for their referee’s, they have a much more daunting task than the NBA refs do. Between the raw size of a soccer field, their job is much more difficult.

Remember Tim Donaghy? Tim Donaghy is a former NBA referee, throughout the last two games of his career, Donaghy made calls that effected the point spread of the games. He plead guilty and served 15 months in federal prison. Donaghy may not represent the entirety of NBA referees, but he certainly puts a dark cloud over the whole crew.

This may be too small of a sample size, but if you are looking for evidence of awful refereeing take a look at this call that was made….in the PLAYOFFS!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vaZIAXJJDKQ

Such a small ratio, why focus on maybe talent when you can focus on definite talent. If I am a scout I am going to focus my attention on players who have the highest probability of bringing me success. Scouting is like gambling. If one man offers you a 1:100 chance to make a million dollars, and the man next to him offers you a 1:10 chance to make a million dollars, who are you going to take?

In the end it is going to be up to the player at the mid-major school to prove themselves to the NBA. Drafting from big name, division I schools is a proven formula. Take five of the best players of all time for example. Jordan, Magic, Kareem, Wilt, and Shaq attended UNC, Michigan State, UCLA, Kansas, and LSU, respectively. Clearly this formula is perfect, and as the old saying goes, ‘if it ain’t broke don’t fix it’.

Although NBA scouts are hating themselves for passing on Jeremy Lin, I wonder if he can keep this trend going, he did lose last night.  It is going to take several seasons of successful play to prove to the NBA that stars can truly come from mid-major colleges. Only then will scouts consider giving a hard look to point guards out of Harvard.

Depending on which part of the country you are in, you may call it ‘beer pong’, ‘pong’, ‘beruit’, or even just ‘root’. Anybody who has ever played this particular drinking game knows that if you play long enough, you are going to be severely inebriated. In this particular lawsuit, Alan Berger claimed the bar was responsible for monitoring his level of intoxication throughout the night.

Contrary to the ruling, I think that Berger has a sound lawsuit that deserves a second look. I would not disagree with this ruling if it was not for the fact that there are similar law umbrellas in this case. When an institution is serving alcohol, especially in an ‘open-bar’ type setting, they are responsible for the amount their customers consume. Have you ever heard the phrase “I am cutting you off.”? Bartenders do this so they are not liable for the illness or injury of their patrons. The Bar should have done the same thing in this case, just because he was engaging in a game in the back room doesn’t mean he is incapable of becoming dangerously intoxicated.

That being said, Alan Berger knew what he was getting into when he entered into this drinking tournament. And he shouldn’t be too surprised that he was hit by a vehicle, he should be thankful he is alive.

I can think of several reasons why this should not be allowed, the first of which is based on the definition of a high school sport.  What is the point of teams representing schools if you have players who don’t represent the school? Who do you play for at that point? As a fan how can you root for your peer athletes when they aren’t your peers?

Another issue I have with this is the unfair off the field factors. High school athletes must deal with so much more than the team. Conditioning, school work, detentions, social issues, and much more. A home-schooled athlete has a very different lifestyle than one who goes to school. Take diet for example, a home schooler on game day probably gets a well balanced meal capped of with a power nap. On the other hand an athlete who attends school must power through a 20 minute lunch with subpar food choices, and then go right back to class. The environments are so vast they cannot possibly compete fairly.

Imagine losing a spot on your high school team’s roster to a kid who didn’t even go to your high school; that would be the worst feeling. The number one qualification for playing on a high school team should be attending the high school.

No.

No matter how insane Lin-sanity gets in New York, the scorers on the team are Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Stoudemire has been out due to a death in the family, and Melo has been nursing a groin injury. Once both of these guys return to the lineup, expect to see only 10-15 points out of Lin per game.

With this decline in scoring, Lin is going to have to step up other aspects of his game. Is he going to be able to lead a team like a point guard should? Is he the next Steve Nash? Not yet. Lin played as a shooting guard at Harvard, and as soon as Carmelo Anthony steps back in to the lineup Lin has to step out of his comfort zone and become a point guard. The Knicks hope Lin can be effective as a passer, leader, and scorer…an Asian Chris Paul.

Jeremy Lin’s popularity has warmed the hearts of New Yorkers and basketball fans alike. His stock has surged in the past few days, but can he stay relevant? Granted, the man is sleeping on his brother’s couch but that doesn’t mean he isn’t the most recognized man in New York right now. With his humble attitude along with the fact that he is the first American-born Asian to play in the NBA assures that the Lin-sanity is here to stay.

The Big East directors need to shift their focus to football to ensure this conference does not falter. Putting focus in the right direction is one of the premier jobs of leaders and the Big East is not doing this. Going out and signing a powerhouse basketball team like Memphis, is like Mike Vick working on his footwork all offseason, its just not where their priorities should be.  Imagine Tim Tebow ignoring his throwing motion in practice. That is essentially what the Big East is doing by ignoring their dismal football teams.

Big East football teams only won 29 games out of the conference this season, while they played 48. Ok, so they were better than .500, that would be impressive if the teams they were playing were any sort of talented. The only way the Big East can get out of conference wins is if they play teams like Fordham, Murray State, Buffalo, North Carolina Central, Rhode Island, Ball State and Norfolk State. Each of those wins is unimpressive and proves nothing.

The Big East needs to relax. They are far too worried about what is going on outside of their conference and they need to focus. With powerhouses like Boise State and UCF set to join the conference in 2014, the Big East should remain idle until then. Imposing such a massive change on an organization without analyzing its effects could be critical. Wait until the football side of things are taken care of, and then start to worry about bringing a team like Memphis in.

1. JaMarcus Russell

Oakland fans got excited in 2008 for their first round draft pick to finally got some playing time. JaMarcus Russell was named the starter, he threw 13 touchdowns and 8 interceptions in 15 games. He led the team to 3^rd place in the AFC West and a 5-11 record. This season looked perfect compared to what he did later, in his remaining 12 NFL games, JaMarcus Russell went 3-11 and a quarterback rating of 50.0, prompting his release.

2. Brock Lesnar

Brock Lesnar began his career as a WWE Superstar. Once he gained enough credibility in the acting industry, Brock decided MMA fighting was his niche. Once he was in the UFC he beat big names such as Frank Mir and Randy Couture. However, his hype did not last long, he has since lost several key matches, his championship title, and his career. After losing on December 30^th 2011, Lesnar announced his retirement after just three years of professional fighting.

3. Kimbo Slice

Another fighter, perhaps even more of a one-hit wonder then Lesnar, is Kimbo Slice. Big Kimbo made himself famous via YouTube. He was able to secure a deal with MMA, where he lost two out of his first three matches. Clearly Kimbo was born for the backyard brawl rather than professional fighting. He has since moved to boxing.

4. Greg Oden

Greg Oden was the #1 Pick in the 2008 NBA draft. He was the man expected to turn the Trail Blazers around and be the new face of the organization. Since joining the Blazers, Oden has been plagued by injuries, playing just 82 games since 2008. He has averaged less than a double-double per game, which is a vast under-performance by a first round draft pick.

Samsung Commercial

Coming in at #5, Samsung’s commercial for their new phone with a stylus. This was clearly an uppercut to the iphone, depicting customers waiting in line. The Brian Urlacher cameo stole my heart though

Chevy
#4  is occupied by a user submission from Chevrolet. This may have been the second funniest commercial during the big game.

A Doritos Favorite

At #3, an up to no good Dog uses Doritos to cover his crime

This is America

#2 In a truly American spotlight, Budweiser takes us through the decades here in the United States

The #1 2012 Super Bowl Commercial

#1 This commercial is too chilling for words. Unfortunately it only aired in Canada, but its message and relevance to sports is unmatched.

On the flip side, there were several commercials that flopped in this years’ Super Bowl. The first was Matthew Broderick’s attempt at a Ferris Bueller re-incarnation. His lack of energy and the over-anticipation of the commercial itself was a major letdown for viewers. Another letdown in my opinion was Volkswagon’s attempt to re-do the Star Wars themed ad. Using dogs and Star Wars (once again) Volkswagon succeeded in having a commercial that has nothing to do with a car. Bravo. You can find each of these here.

He has lost his touch

Not Funny.

World Cup trophy is the ultimate sports prize. Standing at 14 and one half inches, weighing 11 pounds and made of 75 percent gold, this is the Mack Daddy of trophies. It has only been hoisted by 8 teams, and is available only once every four years. On top of that, the global focus on the World Cup Final is unmatched.

The second best ‘trophy’ in sports is the Green Jacket. Standing at Augusta, being robed by the previous Masters champion must be a feeling unlike any other. Not to mention, it comes with a delicious eight million dollar purse.

My issue with the Gold Medal is that they hand out about 500 of them every two years. However, it shows you are a true world-class competitor, as well as a premier representative of your country.

The fourth most important trophy in sport is the Heisman trophy. At 13.5 inches, it is made out of cast bronze and weighs a whopping 25 pounds. This trophy means you are certainly the best athlete in all NCAA football, and it ensures you will be a candidate to make the big bucks in the NFL.

Only the second team sport trophy to make the list is the Stanley Cup Trophy. It has an incredible amount of prestige associated with it. Skating around the rink with the cup risen above your head, drinking out of it in the locker room- nothing is better in American team sports.