Sports

Eastern Conference It is simply an understatement to say that the East is loaded. It is going to be wild to watch this regular season play out. I really can see any of the top eight ending up anywhere in the top eight, but here are my predictions for how it turns out. Philadelphia 76ers New York Knicks Detroit Pistons Boston Celtics Cleveland Cavaliers Indiana Pacers Toronto Raptors Miami Heat Atlanta Hawks Washington Wizards Western Conference Opposed to the east, the west is top loaded and everyone has the same top two. It’s hard to go against that, but the rest of the conference is still interesting even though after the top six you are looking at some “upstarts”. ...

Eastern Conference Metropolitan Division The top of the division will once again belong to the defending Stanley Cup Champion Carolina Hurricanes. After that, it feels wide open. The Capitals had a nice offseason, including bringing Ovi back for at least one more year. As for the rest: New Jersey Devils: It feels like year 10 of “this is the year they get over the hump.” New York Rangers: Did a nice job filling out a thin roster, though my trust level in the front office and coaching staff isn’t quite there. New York Islanders: Their future looks bright, but the NHL roster isn’t there yet. Philadelphia Flyers: I still don’t buy that last year’s run was real. Columbus Blue Jackets: The sleeper team everyone will look past. I actually like them and think they’ll hang around the playoff race for most of the year before coming up just short. Pittsburgh Penguins: Props for what they did last year, but “regression” will be the defining word of their season. Top 3 Playoffs: ...

Before I get into my guessing game, let’s look back at my regular season predictions . I got eight of the twelve playoff teams right, including five of six in the NL. Of course, the Mets were my one miss, but my World Series prediction of the Dodgers beating the Yankees is right there. Now we look forward to what I expect will be a great postseason. My theme for my picks will lead us right back to where I was in March: pitching! ...

Open Secret: Major league teams skirt the rule that they can’t sign a prospect until he’s 16 by offering boys as young as 11 handshake deals, in some cases for millions of dollars. Stolen Promises: With enormous sums promised to poor families, moneylenders exploit them by offering loans at exorbitant interest rates and find ways to scam them. Source: Pro-Publica I am a huge sports fan, and that always comes with the knowledge that there is a dark side of the business we just have to ignore to enjoy it. With that said it feels like we are hitting a tipping point as day after day the stories being told become harder and harder to push aside. With the amount of money franchines are costing I fear what comes next. ...

It’s that time of year again where on the Wednesday after Labor Day where we all say “The NFL is back”! Wait, what? Wednesday? Of course the NFL keeps taking more nights, but the people keep watching so here are my predictions for the season. AFC Division Winners East: Bills North: Ravens South: Texans West: Chargers AFC Wildcard Teams Broncos Patriots Bengals NFC Division Winners East: Cowboys North: Lions South: Buccaneers West: Seahawks NFC Wildcard Teams Eagles Rams Packers Superbowl Predictions Buffalo Bills over the Seattle Seahawks

The start of college football is here which means it’s time for what the world is waiting for! My college football predictions that will be very very wrong. Most prognosticators have a good grasp of the top, but I do think we see some craziness near the bottom of the top 12. Most interesting to me will be at the top of the group of five to determine who grabs the number twelve spot. ...

A short post to talk about the joy of sports. It has now been just over seven weeks since the Knicks won the championship, and everyday I still see a video or post go by about the win that brings an instant smile to my face. I still see people commenting to each other “go Knicks” walking by each other in the streets of New York if they notice a certain hat or shirt on. In a world that can be so negative and cruel the Knicks winning truly was the perfect anecdote. ...

This year might seem over for the New York Mets, but there is always next year!

The folks at Ipsos chose a perfect time to get a handle on how Americans feel about different sports. They polled more than 1,000 people during the ongoing World Cup and asked them “Do you consider yourself to be a fan of the following sports?” The answers could be considered somewhat surprising once you get below the NFL. Has baseball recouped and is now the second-most popular sport in the USA? That won’t make NBA commissioner Adam Silver happy. ...

I am at a loss for words, but it really happened! Game 4 will be one of those things you never forget.