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Let's face it, NASCAR has sort of lost it's luster. Jimmie Johnson has won 5 straight titles, dating back to 2006. The only time he was really challenged during that time span was this past year by Denny Hamlin and Kevin Harvick. This string of wins could be a good thing but it needs to be a tighter race and other drivers have to seem like they're competing with Johnson. Here are a few random thoughts of how NASCAR could regain relevance.
Firstly, NASCAR officials have certainly started the change by implementing a new point system. Under the new system the drivers receive points based on how they finish, 43 points being for 1st. So if you take the number 44 and subtract the drivers finish position you get the amount of points that they receive. This will go a long way in giving other drivers a chance to compete in the Cup Chase. According to Sports Illustrated's Tom Bowles Jimmy Johnson till would have won the cup, but the margin would have been much closer.
Another thing that needs to happen is Dale Earnhardt Jr and Danica Patrick need to actually start being competitive. Jr hasn't finished higher then 12th in the Cup Standings since 2006, while Danica doesn't race in every race in the Nextel Cup Series. These are two of the most talked about and most popular racers, at least Earnhardt is, and they only make headlines for off the track news. Jr finished last season with 0 wins and only finished in the top 5 a mere 3 times. If these two could actually start winning or, at the very least, finished in the top ten more often then not then NASCAR could be looking at a brighter future.
Earnhardt Jr need to become a winner
Tony Stewart is another driver that needs to start competing in the Cup Standings. He scored 2 wins and 9 top 5 finishes but he only finished 7th in the standings, 401 points behind Johnson. Stewart is certainly a fan favorite and his winning and bad boy antics could help the series seem relevant again.
Seems like no matter where your getting your sports these past few weeks, TV, internet, blogs, etc., you have to run into the soap opera that's become Carmelo Anthony's career. And now that the Nets have "officially" said that they are pulling out of the race for Melo where will he end up? Here are some options:
New Jersey Nets
Does anyone really believe that the Nets are really done trying to go after Anthony. They've been in the race this long so why would they stop? This looks to me as a way to get the media away from their negotiations with the Nuggets. It was reported that the Nuggets were becoming disgruntled that the media kept receiving wind of everything that was going on so this could be a way to get back into good graces with them. Melo hasn't said publicly that he won't sign an extension with the Nets but we all know his "dream" team.
New York Knicks
That brings us to the Knicks. The Knicks don't have the good pieces that the Nets have that have drawn the Nuggets in. The Nets can offer Favors, draft picks, and financial relief by taking on the Al Harrington contract. The Knicks, however, still remain the favorites of landing Melo based on the knowledge that this is where Melo will for sure sign the contract extension and will gladly accept the trade. If the Nets have honestly pulled out of the race the Knicks are the destination it would seem.
Where will Melo land at the trade deadline?
Denver Nuggets
At this point it seems like it's possible Anthony will be heading into free agency as, well, a free agent. He'll finish the season without signing a contract extension and the Nuggets will receive no compensation for parting ways with their best player. If it happens this way the situation could end up imploding.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs have an attractive young contract in Rodrigue Beaubois and a couple of expiring contracts that they could part ways with. They would have to find a way to take on the Harrington contract more then likely. ESPN believes that the owner, Mark Cuban, would be willing to go for a trade even without a contract extension. Cuban wants to win a championship and if he feels that Anthony is that missing piece then this could be a likely scenario.
Houston Rockets
The Rockets have a nice package of draft picks and young players that they could offer for Carmelo Anthony. It remains to be seen how active the Rockets have been in their pursuit of Anthony and with Yao Ming out and a last place standing it's unlikely that Anthony would sign an extension.
LA Clippers
The Clippers are a team that I'm not sure is even in the running for Melo nor am I sure of cap space and players they'd be willing to give up. I would just love to see Carmelo Anthony and Blake Griffin running up and down the court together. I was hoping LeBron James would surprise everyone and go play with Griffin but since that didn't happen, this is the next best thing. The Clippers could be a legit playoff threat every year if they could somehow pull off this deal and keep Anthony. You can't double team both of them and seeing a fast break with these two running up either side would be amazing.
*Picture courtesy of Wikipedia
I figured now that the Super Bowl is set and there's still about two weeks until the big game that I'd put in my votes for the NFL's yearly awards. I must say that I'm a huge Eagles fan and I try not to put any bias into the awards.
Comeback Player of the Year
Could this award really be given to anyone other then Michael Vick? The man went to jail for two years and basically lost everything but came back to the NFL to lead the Eagles to the playoffs and have arguable his best season as a pro. They may have lost in the first round of the playoffs but with the verdict still out on Kevin Kolb who knows where the Eagles would've been this season.
Vick showed he can be a top Quarterback in the league
Defensive Rookie of the Year
This is quite possibly the hardest award to pick this season as there are three candidates that could win this. Ndamukong Suh, the defensive tackle from the Detroit Lions, finished the season with 66 tackles, 10 sacks, 1 forced fumble and 1 interception. Joe Haden, the cornerback from the Cleveland Browns, finished the season with 64 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble and 6 interceptions. And the final candidate is Devin McCourty, the cornerback from the New England Patriots, who finished with 82 tackles, 1 sack, 2 forced fumbles and 7 interceptions. I'm going to have to pick Suh just because of what he meant to the Lions defense. The Patriots were still 30th in the league against the pass even with the play of McCourty and Suh made plays even while facing double teams each week.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Sam Bradford is easily the runaway winner of this award. He passed for 3500 yards and 18 touchdowns while leading his team to one win shy of making the playoffs. That's saying a lot even in the lowly NFC West, especially when his number one receiver, Donnie Avery, was out the whole season.
Defensive Player of the Year
Clay Matthews started out hot with 8.5 sacks and a forced fumble in the first 5 games of the season. He finished with only 5 more in the next 11 games however and kind of falls down my list because of that. My pick is probably not going to win the award this year but I believe he deserves the award: James Harrison. The reason I say he won't win it is because he's kind of become the poster boy for illegal hits and the NFL may feel like if they give him the award that they are condoning the actions. His stats are there however as he recorded 100 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 2 interceptions and he forced 6 fumbles. He had a great season and is part of the reason the Steelers are back in the Super Bowl.
Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year
With 4 weeks left in the season I was going to split these awards up and give Offensive POY to Vick and MVP to Tom Brady. But when Vick got outplayed by Joe Webb and defenses seemed to figure him out some I had to take it away and give both to Brady. Yes he lost in his first playoff game of this year but this is about the regular season and many believe this season was better then his 50 touchdown season in 2007. His stats were unbelievable this season. 3,900 passing yards, 36 touchdowns and only 4 interceptions. He set the record for most consecutive passes without an interception with 335. He also added a rushing touchdown this season.
Brady better make room for a second MVP
New York Jets @ Pittsburgh Steelers
The New York Jets are still riding high after their unexpected upset of the New England Patriots last Sunday, while the Steelers are looking to get to the Super Bowl for an eighth time. This game will come down to which teams offense is able to make the big play. Both defenses aren't generally susceptible to the big play but if one offense can get a big play early, this game could be decided quick.
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Barring an unforeseen setback, such as an injury, Blake Griffin already has the Rookie of the Year award on lock. His 47 points and 14 rebounds in a win against the Indiana Pacers on Monday night put the award out of reach of any other potential candidates.
John Wall, though impressive when he plays, has missed too much time and it causes him to fall out of contention at this point. Landry Fields has been impressive for the New York Knicks so far this season averaging 10.1 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game. But Griffins double-double average (22.6 PPG and 12.8 RPG) show the difference between Griffin and the rest of the rookies. When you watch Griffin play it's kind of like being a kid and watch Jordan in his prime, waiting for that next big play, whether it be a dunk or just his leaping ability on a rebound. Griffin is playing at a whole other level and he's done something that no player in Clippers history has, he's made Clippers basketball worth watching.
While the Rookie of the Year is already, seemingly, locked up, is it possible that Griffin could win the MVP award as well? So far this season it doesn't seem like there is a clear cut winner for this award as there was in previous seasons. Derrick Rose, LeBron James, Dwayne Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Amare Stoudamire, etc. etc. The list seems endless this season. Amare was certainly the early favorite as the Knicks jumped out to a great start but that bandwagon is losing steam during their latest four game skid.
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Comment by cquigs717
on NASCAR Relevance
Daily Hits
As I stated the new point system would've been a closer race this year...meaning more excitement. And I wasn't being critical of Stewart. I was just saying that if he can win more then he'd help nascar. Fan favorites like Jr and Stewart help sell a sport and if their winning it means more sales.