This past weekend two of the five prospects in this upcoming National Basketball Association (NBA) draft were removed from the NCAA tournament. Andrew Wiggins, regarded as a phenomenal athlete coming out of high school, struggled this weekend against a subpar team in Stanford . While only going 1-4 on shooting and scoring four points, he seriously failed to meet spectator expectations. Given his early age of just nineteen, he does have to improve his skills as an undergraduate player, however NBA teams are looking for players who are ready now. This season Wiggens has not showed that he was a superstar or a true captain.
Further critics are wondering, “Was Jabari Parker an overall better scorer than Wiggens?” In my personal opinion the kid has a knack for scoring success. His biggest weakness lies in his capability to defend, which happens to be Wiggens strength. In the game against Mercer , Jabari scored 14 points on 4-14 on shooting but was subbed out because of his lackluster defense. It leads one to wonder if this is the type of player you want leading your franchise. He’s no Steve Nash defensively, but Parker is playing the best position in basketball his defense has to improve or he’ll just be another bust with hype.
The NBA often debilitates itself by bringing in younger men to play against their bigger, faster, stronger, and more seasoned counterparts. Most of these young men are pulled by the allure of large paychecks but end up losing their love for basketball. Only time will tell if these guys will succeed or if The NBA’s top ten will bust. It makes you wonder should the NBA move it’s age of letting players come into the NBA up so they can develop their game and get a better education.
As if Tim Tebow wasn’t enough of a joke in the NFL. The former NFL Tight End/Quarterback who is known to be a very religious man admitted his belief in Santa Claus in an interview earlier this morning with EmpireSports. Yes you read that right. Tim Tebow believes in Santa. Tebow who said Santa Claus ranks #2 in his list of favorite and mostinfluential figures in his life. I’m sure you can guess his #1 by all of his other interviews and anytime you hear him talk. Quite frankly I am not sure if Tebow is trying to ruin any chance he has had with a woman or if Tim is a closet homosexual but this is clearly the worst move he could have made after just after trying to throw a football.
The failed NFL Quarterback stood by his beliefs after being questioned heavily about it. No one knows why his #1 and #2 most influential people are both mythical and fictional figures but to each his own I guess. This confession ranks right up there with the rednecks being abducted by aliens and anal probed. I’m sure you understand where I am taking this. Yes Tebow is a joke and ruined what we normal people consider a QB in the NFL. Yes Tebow is a complete moron for his beliefs in fictional beings. Yes I hate talking about Tebow and hearing about him as much as all of you. But who can pass up this information? A man in his mid 20’s believing in a religion? Sure I guess. But to believe in Santa Claus? I tried to reach out to Mr. and Mrs. Tebow but they said they were talking to Santa about Timothy’s Christmas gifts this year.
The entire Tebow family to be seems a bit out of date and very delusional in every possible way. I feel sorry for any future children who make come from these people. But maybe they will give birth to a intelligent child not following the same crazy and idiotic path. We will see. Just remember you seen it here first.
Let me make this absolutely clear; whether anyone wants to admit it or not, there is an attack on religion in this country. Backlash of a bill recently vetoed in Arizona has made that perfectly clear.
What is ironic is that America is a country established by pilgrims who escaped their country due to religious persecution and the founders thought religious freedom was so important that it is expressly granted to every citizen in the very first amendment to the United States Constitution.
Yet there is a large and vocal section of Americans (actually, I will say “anti-Americans”) who HATE religion and want to see religion banished from the public eye.
Point blank, there is simply NOTHING in Arizona Senate Bill 1062 that is remotely “Anti-gay”. In fact the word “gay” is not mentioned a single time in the bill, nor are the words “homosexual”, “LGBT”, “trans-gender”, “straight”, “Fag” or “Queer”.
You you think the bill is “anti-gay” then you haven’t read the bill or you are blinded by religious hatred. The bill is only 2 pages long and can be read in less than 10 minutes. You can even read it online right here.
The redundant, vaguely worded legislation merely authorized citizens to invoke arguments of religious conscience when faced with legal action against them by government or private parties and it’s something that’s ALREADY LAW in the entire United States which means that all the hatred over the bill is much ado about nothing.
Anyone who calls the bill “anti-gay” has either not read the bill or is blinded by religious hatred. Anti-religious bigots have spun the words of the bill to turn it in to something that it is not in order to advance their hate-filled agenda.
And, now, the NFL has either caved to public opinion or they too don’t want Americans to have religion freedom. On Tuesday the NFL put pressure on Arizona Governor Jan Brewer to Veto the bill by threatening to move Super Bowl XLIX out of Arizona.
So, either the NFL has not read the wording of the legislation, they are anti-religion or they are cowards who are caving in to misguided public opinion. Either way, it doesn’t say much for the character of the NFL.
Along with the great smell of hotdogs, hamburgers, steaks and ribs will be the overwhelming smell of Marijuana.
The legality of this substance will not only change the pregame festivities but also the attitude of the fans. Bronco’s fan Larry Smith said “This is gonna be wild, being high watching the game live, I hope I can stay awake ’till the end.”
Another thing to take into consideration is the 11th man performance. “I just hope their not in a stupor when we need them.”- Peyton Manning. The Broncos fans are usually in the top 5 generating noise but that could change drastically. Owner and Chief Executive Officer of the Denver Broncos, Pat Bowlen has sent in a request to the NFL for some help with the rules concerning the possible crowd noise or lack thereof. “It’s just not fair to us that with our high altitude combined with half the fans being high, we will not have an 11th man at all.” “We will be the only team in the NFL with this problem.”
Topics that will be discussed will be the use of loud speakers to generate crowd noise, ways to keep the pot heads from entering the game (since it is legal in Colorado, it can be used outside the stadium) using drug sniffing dogs or nose swab testing each fan as they enter.
This whole thing has even more potential problems concerning halftime. The vendors are going to have to hire more workers and increase the amount of product they bring to sell. “This is going to turn out to be an eat-fest not a football game.”- Bronco fan
Vendor Jim Jones stated “I’m really excited about it, we will see at the first game, but we are going to be ready. I expect to double my profits!” When the munchies set in as they lose their high, it could be pandemonium in the concessions area.
Very long lines are expected, so much so that most of the heads will not make it back to their seats until the 4th quarter. At Denver and extended halftime may be in order.
That’s why they call it Mile High!
Barack Played in HS, and installed a court at the White House
In honor of President’s Day yesterday, the staff at empiresports.co has decided to release it’s listing of the first ever All-Presidents Basketball Squad. A team composed entirely of our commanders-in-chief, hope you enjoy and feel free to list your own thoughts below in the comment section.
*During the President’s Athletic Prime*
Point Guard – Barack Obama: Obama played in high school, the only president with organized experience in the game of hoops, and while it has been reported that he was cut from an intramural team in college (they make cuts at that level!?) our current POTUS has also installed a basketball court in the White House, which leads me to believe he spent at least some time there honing his skills.
NBA COMPARISON – Isiah Thomas: The Pistons Isiah Thomas by the way. In my head I picture Obama as a bit of a scoring threat who also isn’t afraid to dish the rock, as well as somebody who can hold up his share of the bargain on the defensive end.
Shooting Guard – John F. Kennedy: Though he was known to struggle with extreme back problems, old JFK played some football at Harvard, as well as holding particularly vicious pick-up football games throughout his life including his presidency. Plus, going through the whole Cuban Missile Crisis would lead you to believe that JFK would be the go to option in close game situations.
NBA COMPARISON – Dwayne Wade: JFK seems like the kind of the guy who would be quick off the dribble and then could smother you defensively. I like to think that Mr. Kennedy is just as smooth of a player as he was with the ladies.
Small Forward – George H.W. Bush: A little known fact is that the elder Bush played baseball at Yale, and he played it well. His Bulldog team even made it to the College World Series in 1948, a season in which he hit for the cycle against North Carolina. His apparent athleticism makes him the perfect fit at the 3.
NBA COMPARISON – Larry Bird: H.W. would be asked to do it all on the team, spot up from 3, get a few boards, defend the other teams best player. Also, like Larry Bird, Bush’s athleticism is something generally forgotten about.
Power Forward – George Washington: Okay, I know basketball wasn’t invented at that point, but come on… Can’t you see the General playing some crazy defense and grabbing every single board? One of the taller presidents, and extremely tall for his time period, Washington would know how to use his size to defeat opponents that seem to be much stronger and larger (see: Revolutionary War) could he lead our squad to the playoffs like he led the army across the Delaware? One could only hope.
NBA COMPARISON – Ben Wallace: Despite the fact that Washington never sported a sick afro like Big Ben, the comparison is the closest fit I believe. Ben was not the tallest, though pretty tall, and was a lockdown defender and great rebounder who left a little to be desired on the offensive end, though he could still hold is own.
Center – Abraham Lincoln: Was there any doubt about this one? The tallest president, Honest Abe was a pretty big fan of baseball and played it recreationally. Also, Abe would presumably be the team’s leader if there was any inter-squad conflict. Tall and lanky, Lincoln would provide some versatility at the 5.
NBA COMPARISON – Kareem Abdul-Jabbar: It’s hard to picture Abe doing anything else on the court but spotting up from the free-throw line with a great big sky-hook. The great emancipator would never be the fanciest of players, but god damn, he would be able to play some beautiful basketball. Honorable Mentions: Jimmy Carter (he just looks like the 3 point specialist you call off the bench) George W. Bush (Bush played football at Yale, plus you’d get the whole Ken Griffey Jr/Sr thing so that’s cool) William Howard Taft (Taft weighed 340 pounds, just imagine that backing you down in the post) Dwight Eisenhower (A star linebacker at West Point and a successful military general, he would bring good court awareness and IQ as well as some natural ability)
Floyd Mayweather Jr. and have already booked a date to settle the score once and for all. According to a source close to situation, the megabuck showdown between Money May and the Pacman will finally take place in September 2014 after several failed attempts to arrange the biggest match in boxing history.
According to Latino Post, Youtube Boxing channel 78Sports TV reported that the Mayweather vs. Pacquiao showdown is already a done deal. The source, who disclosed insider’s information about Mayweather’s upcoming fights with Robert Guerrero and Saul Canelo Alvarez before these bouts were actually announced, indicated that Money May has already agreed to terms with Pacquiao.
“Great news in the world of boxing. He [the source] is telling me that Floyd and Manny Pacquiao will be fighting in 2014 guaranteed and it’s already done,” the 78Sports anchor said in his 16-minute commentary on Youtube. “Everything else that you will see will be just theatrics from here on out. But the fight is already done”
Finally – The Showdown of the Century
The boxing world has been clamouring for the megabuck fight over the last five to six years. Disputes over blood testing and fight-purse sharing had been the stumbling blocks to get the fight done in the past. But now, it appears that Mayweather and his camp has had a change of heart, allowing Pacquiao to emerge as enticing opponent for the undefeated American boxer.
Two weeks ago, Mayweather stressed that he won’t give Pacquiao any shot at his belts primarily because of the Filipino boxing star’s association with Bob Arum’s Top-Rank promotions.
“We all know the Pacquiao fight, at this particular time, will never happen, and the reason why the fight won’t happen is because I will never do business with Bob Arum again in life, and Pacquiao is Bob Arum’s fighter,” Mayweather told FightHype.com.
“Bob Arum gives Pacquiao a date, whereas Floyd Mayweather gives Floyd Mayweather his own date. I will be fighting again in May and I will be fighting again in September.”
However, there are rumours circulating that Pacquiao will be fighting Mayweather as a free-agent without any backings from Top-Rank promotions. The Pacman is under contract with Top-Rank until the end of 2014, though he could be represented by MP Promotions for that specific fight alone.
On the other hand, Mayweather is expected to announce his opponent in his May 3 event in MGM Grand Garden in Las Vegas, Nevada. Great Britain’s top welterweight Amir Khan is the favourite to take on the Grand Rapids native in his Cinco de Mayo offering, but Marcos Maidana and Pacquiao have also gained momentum in the Money May sweepstakes, following their sensational wins in their latest bouts.
Maidana is fresh from a 12-round unanimous decision upset of pound-for-pound fighter Adrien Broner, while Pacquiao peppered Brandon Rios on his way to a unanimous decision victory inNovember in Macau, China.
Recently Roger Goodell has been contemplating whether or not the NFL should do away with point after the touchdown kicks. Well it seems a decision has been made.
Starting in the preseason next year the PAT will be kicked by an assistant coach of the other teams choice, but hold on this is not as bad as it may at first seem. It will obviously be more entertaining because the PAT will be worth two points and will be kicked from the sideline like in rugby. This is a good move by Goodell because it will create job opportunities for former kickers as assistant coaches. Also this will increase the chance of two point conversions because, seriously, who wants their 300 pound line coach kicking a critical PAT in the final seconds of a playoff game? Can anyone really picture Rob Ryan (AKA Sampson) kicking a PAT even if the Saints play in the Superdome?
Overall though good job Goodell you have made the game more interesting for me the rest of the NFL.
This Monday night, the 19-22 Brooklyn Nets will come to TD Garden to play the 15-30 Celtics. Coming with them is star guard and former Celtic Kevin Garnett. Garnett came to the Nets over the off-season from Boston with Paul Pierce. Garnett helped the Celtics with a Championship back in ’08. The 2004 MVP has not been putting up great numbers this season, scoring 6.9 PPG and just under 7 rebounds a game, which is a career worst. Can KG up his game vs. his old team on Monday? We will just have to see.
Of course there is also the teams themselves. On the Celtics, Point Guard Rajon Rondo is back after a injury that has sidelined him for 11 1/2 months. Even though he is on top of the All-Star voting, Rondo performance has far from All-star. He has only been getting 5.3 APG since he has returned. Bright spots on the Celtics include Brandon Bass, Kelly Olynik, and Jeff Green, who only a few games ago scored 39 points. But if they got killed by the Thunder with Kevin Durant and Russel Westbrook out, how will they be able to handle the Nets. For Brooklyn, Brook Lopez leads the team with 20.1 PPG. Others Great Players for the Nets are Joe Johnson and Deron Williams. Whichever way it goes, Monday Nights game will be great!
This past weekend two of the five prospects in this upcoming National Basketball Association (NBA) draft were removed from the NCAA tournament. Andrew Wiggins, regarded as a phenomenal athlete coming out of high school, struggled this weekend against a subpar team in Stanford . While only going 1-4 on shooting and scoring four points, he seriously failed to meet spectator expectations. Given his early age of just nineteen, he does have to improve his skills as an undergraduate player, however NBA teams are looking for players who are ready now. This season Wiggens has not showed that he was a superstar or a true captain.
