Tomlin Gets Fined 100K

Hey All,

Today there was a bit of breaking news, and that was Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin was fined $100,000 for his sideline "interference" on thanksgiving night. Now I would have to say that this fine is a bit obsessive. I get fining him, I get that what he did, wheater it was intentional or not, was wrong, but what I don't get is the price of the fine. It's a bit much if you ask me. There is no way that this infraction is worth 100K. 

The big argument in this is that he interfered with the Ravens return man. Now I've watched this from every angle possible, and no matter if Tomlin was in the way or not, Jones was getting caught. It's not like he was 5 yards ahead of the coverage team and could have walked into the end zone. There was a defender right on his heals, and closing pretty quick. 

What blows my mine about this is that there was a ref right there, and he called nothing, NOTHING! If the ref does his job and throws the flag, we wouldn't be talking about this right now. We would be finding something else to be decusing. But no, here we are talking about a ridiculous fine to an already struggling team. 

Another thing that could be added later on is that the NFL is thinking of taking away a draft pick. This would infuriate everyone in Pittsburgh and anyone who is a fan of Pittsburgh. The team needs help, and taking away a draft pick over this, is wrong on so many levels. This would just be showing how much of bullies the NFL can be. A fine is punishment enough. There is no need to punish the organization for a mistake that the coach made. Now I know that some would say that he is the face of the organization, being the coach but he wasn't doing the on purpose. He said so in his press conference after the fine was given. 

Yes, I know everyone will say that how didn't he know? Well in the heat of a game, and Tomlin watching the big screen, I can see where it could be easy to lose where you're at on the field. Now that's a stretch I know, but still 100K and a draft pick, way to kick a team when they're down. 

I really hope that the NFL thinks before they act on the draft pick. That wouldn't be right and make them look really bad. I think that the right thing will be done, no matter what the outcome. I just hope they think about this in fairness. 

Until next time,

You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports 

NASCAR Drivers Aren't Athletes?

Hey All,

Today I'm going to be discussing a topic that not a lot of people have a lot of opinions about. That would be if the NASCAR drivers are real athlete's? I would have to say that everyone who watches sports would have to say that they are not, but they aren't looking deeper into the sport. You people are in luck, because I am here to give you the facts and let you decide (while giving you my opinion).

This all came about when, former NFL quarterback Donovan McNabb, said that drivers are not athletes. He was mainly talking about six time cup winner Jimmy Johnson. "He's not an athlete," said McNabb. "He sits in a car... What athletically is he doing?" This would have to be one of the most ignorant quotes I've ever heard. What is he doing? Try racing a hard-to-handle a 3,400 pound stock car at nearly 200 MPH in steaming hot conditions. Sprint Cup drivers also experience  incredible G-forces while inside the car, during the race. Not to mention the risk of injury if they should crash the car, while driving 400- or 500 miles over the span of three hours, give or take. Now tell me, do you think any regular Joe could do that off the street?

Johnson did respond to McNabb's quote. "Yes, I am an athlete, and so is every driver in one of these racecars. Even Tony Stewart, even though he's carrying a little (weight), he's an athlete." Johnson went on to say, "That's just fuel for his engine." To tell you the truth, I love Johnson's response to McNabb. He got to the point and he stuck up for every driver in the sport. To make matters better, for the side of racecar drivers being athletes, car owner Rick Hendrick also had something to say to McNabb. "I'd like to see McNabb come run the Boston marathon with him or swim the lake out here," Hendrick said, referring to Johnson's fitness level. "Guys like that don't know what they are talking about." I also like what Hendrick had to say about his driver. He also added in that Johnson wouldn't have been named Athlete of the Year by the Associated Press if he wasn't an athlete.

With the facts there, the comments by McNabb, Johnson, and car owner Rick Hendrick, and the award for Athlete of the Year it's clear to say is an athlete. The facts are there people, it's hard to say that they are not athlete's. My deffinition of what isn't an athlete is if you can take a normal average Joe off the street and do the "sport". Let's take Golf, for sake of argument, anyone can do that. They might not be that good at it, but you can take anyone off the street and they can make it through 18 holes of golf. Yes, I know, everyone is going to say " but they have to walk the course". Okay, that is true, and to that I say but their not carrying their bags, someone does all the "hard" work for them, and they don't even have to pick their own clubs. Given, they might not make any final cuts, but they would finish 18 holes of golf. If you cannot take anyone off the streets and put them into the sport, and have said person finish the event, then the person who actually does the sport is an athlete. Nothing else needs to be said.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Issue With Sports at A Young Age?

Hey All,

Now I know I haven't been posting anything for a while, but I am writing for another site as well. The site is www.fantasysportswearhouse.com and you can get the competitive edge that you need in your fantasy leagues from this site. I am going to be doing both from here on out as well, so no need to worry, I will be giving you everything you need about sports. So with that being said, let's get to today's topic at head.

It's come to my attention that a lot of parents, now a days, aren't letting their kids participate in sports at a young age. This just blows my mind that this is happening. Pop Warner football has lost 20,000 kids this year alone. That's way to high of a number for kids these days. Studies think it's because of the parents seeing all the injuries and they are afraid to let their kids play this sport. Studies have also shown that the injuries in professional sports, especially football, have increased since performance enhancing drugs became a big issue. Although one study said there was a huge decrease in football, no other studies have shown any significant increase from any other sport.

If kids aren't participating in activities at an early age, their chances of becoming active in criminal or drug related activities increases by a remarkable 76%. These adults need to realize that your influencing kids all over the world. Stop Performance enhancing drug sales! That's the real issue here. It's not that football at a young age is bad for kids, it's that if you don't teach them from a young age that if you want to get somewhere it takes hard work, not drugs. Everyone thinks that "oh it'll give me an edge over everyone else", and that couldn't be further from the truth according to these studies. These studies show that everyone who did it right and didn't take any illegal drugs or supplements aren't getting injured. It's that simple.

I know everyone knows that performance enhancing drugs do give you and "edge" over everyone else, but you have to think of the side-affects. Yes, it does make you bigger, yes, it does make you stronger, and yes it does give you an "edge", but what it also does is hurt your body by breaking it down to try and build it back up. If you are bigger, faster, stronger you do have a higher risk of hurting yourself. Because one thing it doesn't make bigger, faster, stronger, is your head. Yes, your mussels will grow and you will feel good, but one hit to the head and boom your out. I'm surprised it took me this long to hear about this to get it to you good people.

Know I do know there are some people out there that do it right, and this post is not meant for you. It's meant for everyone out there who's not looking at the facts and just looking at what it could do for them. Believe me, it does sounds great if that's all you hear about it. You mean to tell me there's something out there that will take me to the next level and I won't have to work any harder then I already am? Who wouldn't want to do that? But what you need to do is know that everything has Pro's and Con's. Just take a minute, sit down, and really take a look at these things.

If you don't believe me take a look at all the professional athletes who are getting suspended or fined and even kicked off of teams for taking these drugs. Now, if they were really giving you an edge why wouldn't they be legal? If they actually helped you, every professional sport would make them legal to take. I know it's so simple it's hard.

To take these kids out of sports at a young age is wrong. That's the message here. It's flat out wrong. Kids now a days all they want to do is sit in, play there Xbox's, PlayStation's, and whatever. They don't want to go out and get active. Now not only do they get involved with drugs, if they aren't in sports at a young age, but obesity grows as well. I don't think I need to go into that in this post, because that has been a issue for a long time. I'm not going to waste any more time with that. It speaks for itself.

The moral of the story is, get your kids out, get them active, and get them into sports at a young  age. There's nothing wrong with it, it will help them, and make them a better person in the long run. It shows them team work, and how to work well with others. I've always been a firm believer in sports at a young age. I've played sports my entire life, up until I graduated college. And I think I turned out just fine. I did it right, I didn't take any illegal drugs or performance enhancing drugs, and I rarely got hurt. Now I know it still can happen if you play a sport, you can get hurt. That's a fact. Nothing is going to stop your kids from getting hurt parents. Even if you keep them out of sports, they will find a way to hurt themselves. Trust me, it will happen. So all I'm trying to say is get your kids in sports and open  your eyes parents. It's not a sporting issue, it's a you issue. Look at the facts before you act.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

WVU Needs Late TD

Hey All,

This past Saturday the WVU Mountaineers took on William & Merry and needed a late TD from a true freshman in order to get the win. It wasn't a bad game, but it wasn't a very good game for the Mountaineers either.

The game got started with WVU looking at 2 QB's to take over after the Geno Smith era has come and gone. In my mind it's clear who the true starter should be, but it's not my decision. Paul Millard looked solid in his first start with the Mountaineers as he threw a 69 yard TD pass to Ronald Carswell late in the third quarter to tie the game up aftet being down 10 to start the second half.

There were a lot of new comers for West Virginia in this game and they all did an outstanding job. Huston transfer Charles Sims ran for 120 yards and had a score to his stat sheet as well. Along with Millard it looks like WVU has some talent again this year, but needs to grow a bit as they are all young players.

One person who I was surprised didn't do better, was Florida State transfer Clint Trickett. WVU split the time at QB in order to see who they liked better to run the offense. Millard came in and completed his first 8 passes, and went a total of 19-25 with 237 yards with no interceptions. Trickett on the other hand, was really ineffective in this game.

WVU won the game 24-17, but the game shouldn't have been that close. If you ask me I wouldn't have taken out Millard until he made a mistake. He was playing way to well to take him out. I think if you leave Paul Millard in the game you win more convincingly. Instead, you switch QB's and the game becomes too close for comfort. I hope they don't make the same mistake nexy week against Oklahoma, because they won't have any room for error in this game.
Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

A Rod Latest

Hey All,

There is more news on the latest in the Alex Rodriguez injury/biogensis case. It's looking like A Rod is going to make his debut in the majors this Monday against Chicago.

For more on this store read the link below.

http://www.cbssports.com/mlb/blog/scott-miller/23013919/joe-girardi-arod-will-be-in-the-lineup-monday-night-if-activated via http://cbssportsapp.com

Until next time.
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports

Baseball Update

Hey All,

A quick baseball update for ya, and what has gone on, prior to, and now that it's the first games back since the All Star break. There has been a lot that has gone on right before the break. Some good, some bad, but mostly bad for one team in particular. The team is not one I am to fond of, but non to less you never want anything bad to happen to anyone. That team would be the New York Yankees.

The Yankees have had one of the worst starts they have ever had. Injuries have plagued their team, and it just seems like if it can go wrong, it has gone wrong. Besides the injuries there's also the biogenisus scandal going on, which one player specifically is right in the middle of it. We'll get to that a little later, right now the injuries is what interests me the most.

The Yankees have had almost all of their stars go on the DL, some of which are still there. Mark Teixeira, Alex Rodriguez, Derek Jeter, these are just some of the names for the Yanks that are on the DL, and it's not looking good.  A Rod has been out all year and is finishing up his rehab assignments now, and Teixeira has been back for only a handful of games this year. The newest name to this ever growing list of injuries is Derek Jeter. Jeter has just been put on the 15 day DL with a strained Quad. He says it feels fine, yet he hasn't ran on it yet. So, I don't know how he can sit there and say it's fine, when he hasn't tested it out yet.

The next thing that really is hurting the Yankees is the Biogenisus scandal, that has A Rod right smack dab in the middle of it. He has already been caught before using PED's, and this will be his second offense. For second time offenders, it can bring up to a 100 game suspension, and that will crush the Yankees this season. They've only had A Rod for one game this season, and he only produced one hit, and had to be taken out before the game was over because he was have discomfort in his quad. There's only one other catch to this story, and that's Rodriguez might not just be suspended for 100 games, he could receive a life time band from the game of baseball for lying about using PED's.

To make matters worse for the Yankees, their first series back from the All Star Break, they get the Red Sox. A rivalry game that means everything to both these teams. The Red Sox beat the Yankees very easily by a score of 4-2. Doubront got the win, bringing him to a 7-3 record and is looking strong moving forward. Pettitte got the lose bringing him to 7-7 on the season and isn't looking good.

The scoring got started in the Bottom of the 1st inning when Ellsbury homered to right on a 1-0 count. After that Napoli was able to reach base for Gomes. Gomes hit a 2 run blast over the monster on a 2-2 count. Making the score 3-0 Red Sox. Another point wasn't scored until the Top of the 4th inning when Catcher Saltalamacchia committed an error, and Gardner was able to score. The next points were scored by the Yanks on a double to left from Stewart scoring Overbay. This was the Top of the 5th inning. This put the Yanks back in the game, but not for long. The Sox got yet another run, and the final run of the game, in the Bottom of the 7th inning on a single to right from Iglesias scoring Gomes. After that closer Uehara would come in and get his 9th save of the year and shut it down.

New York didn't need this game to go the way that it did. As of right now, based on the way they've played and how well the rest of their Division is doing, they only have a 7% chance of making the playoffs this year. This is very uncommon for the Yanks, they have been consistently in the post-season for the past 17 times out of the last 18 years. To make matter worse for the Yankees, the Pittsburgh Pirates have over a 90% chance of making the post-season this season, and they haven't had a winning record for a record breaking 21 straight seasons.

The Battling Buccos are having one of the best starts to their season in a long time. They've won more games in the first half of the season, then they've ever had  since 1996. In my opinion, they have a great team and everyone is doing their part, and helping this team to make a playoff run. There's only one problem with this, and that's the Division that they play in. It's one of the hardest Divisions in the Majors if you ask me. With the Reds, who are always a tough team, the Cardinals, who are always at the top of the Division, and the Brewers, who the Pirates just can't seem to beat, it makes it very hard to make the playoffs. But I'm not asking for a playoff birth this season. I'm asking for a winning season to break this streak of losing ones, as I'm sure every Pirates fan is wishing for.

This baseball season has been one of the most unpredictable seasons I've ever seen. With teams who shouldn't be up in the running for the playoffs, to teams who are always up there, being at the bottom of the Division. I can't wait to see how the rest of the season plays out, and will keep you up to date with everything that happens along the way.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

No One Can Talk To Hernandez?

Hey All,

As I'm sure most of you know, former Tight end for the New England Patriots Aaron Hernandez, was arrested Thursday with first degree murder and 5 different gun charges. Now the League and Roger Goodell is stepping in.

Goodell is making it very clear to all the teams around the League, that no one is to talk with Hernandez until the Verdict is given. Also, if any team does talk to Hernandez, "before charges against him are resolved won't be approved without a hearing by Commissioner Roger Goodell." So no team will probably be talking to Hernandez until a verdict is given.

More bad news for Hernandez is that several endorsers have ended relations with him, and in my opinion he won't be getting any back once a verdict is given, provided he is found not guilty.

Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20130627/teams-cant-sign-hernandez-without-hearing.ap/#ixzz2XTTjJwbB

If you ask me I don't think any teams will be talking to him regardless of the decision of the court. Most teams around the Leagues are trying to stray away from characters like that on their team, to keep away any unnecessary distractions to the team.

If, and only if, a team was willing to take a risk on Hernandez it would be the Oakland Raiders. the Raiders are known for having the "bad boys" on their team.

Everyone knows that there has been many players who have been arrested and let back into the league. Such players as Mike Vick and Plaxico Burress who were convicted and allowed back to play again, and still on NFL rosters. Vick with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Burress with the Pittsburgh Steelers. So there has been players to come back after a "bad time" in their lives.

This is a story I will be following very closely to see what does happen as far as Hernandez's conviction, to if he will be allowed to play again on an NFL team. I will be keeping you up to date as soon as I hear any information from any of my sources.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Game 6 NBA Finals

Hey All,

Tonight is a very critical game for both teams left in the NBA to be crowned Champions. Both the Spurs and the Heat are in must win situations, but for one team it becomes more critical to stay alive.

The defending Champion Heat are down 3-2 in the series as it returns to South Beach for a pivotal Game 6, and a must win situation for the raining NBA Champions. This is their third trip to the Finals in as many years, and are looking to repeat as Champions.

The Spurs pulled ahead by taking Game 5 from the Heat with a 114-104 Victory on Sunday Night in San Antonio, and there was one player that hasn't really shown up in these Playoffs. Manu Ginobili decided hey I'm in the NBA Finals, maybe, just maybe I should step up my game and go out and play like it could be my last game. Ginobili had 24 points with 10 assists in Sunday's game when during the entire finals he's averaged 7.5 PPG, that's not getting it done.

Ginobili went on record saying: "I'm being honest, I don't care about scoring 24, I was angry, disappointed. We are playing in the NBA Finals, we were 2-2, and I felt I still wasn't helping the team much, And that was the frustrating part."

Ginobili may have been angry, frustrated, disappointed, whatever you want to call it, but it was just one game. Given it was a big game, but it was just one game, they haven't won anything yet. They need to remember that the Heat haven't lost back to back games since January, and they went on that incredible 27 game win streak this year. The Heat are not a team to sleep on.

Neither team slept on the other, and it showed throughout the duration of this game. Tim Duncan came out big in the first half, and played like the former champion that he is. It wasn't quite enough to put the Heat out of this game for good. This game was so good that it had to go into overtime with Ray Allen hitting a big time  3 with 5.2 left to go in the game to send it into OT.

James had the 4th quarter of his life scoring 16 points, which is a career NBA Finals high for James, and it showed as the Heat were down 5 with 20 seconds left to go in the game. They were able to come back and tie the game thanks to strong play in the paint by Bosh to flip a rebound out to Allen for the game tying 3.

Overtime wasn't much different then the rest of the game, as both teams were playing as if it was the last time they were ever going to touch a basketball. The Defense, for both teams, was outstanding. If you are a big time basketball fan, someone who's never watched a game in your life, or just your casual fan as I am, this was a very exciting game to watch.

The Heat held a one point lead with 27 seconds left and they did everything in their power to make sure that they finished with the lead in tack. Ginobili, who was fantastic in the game on Sunday as well as tonight in game 6, committed the worst foul ever with 1.9 seconds left in OT. Now most would say that this should have been a foul on the Heat, and I saw nay. First off Ginobili took a bus to the hoop and should have been a traveling foul but instead Allen went to shoot two big free throws.

The game would end with 3 point hot shooter Danny Green getting the in-bounds pass with 1.9 seconds left and was rejected by Bosh as time expired. James would finish this game with his 4th triple double of these playoffs. James had 32 points 10 rebounds and 11 assists to help lift the Heat to force a game 7 on Thursday to decide it all.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Bylsma Extended

Hey All,

I know it's been a while since I've posted anything on here, but I've been working on a video blog as well as this one. You can catch it at mbonaventura83 on YouTube.

Now let's get down to business.

The Pittsburgh Penguins have extended the contract of Dan Bylsma by two years. This will take the coach through the 2016 season, and from there who knows. Now I would be lying if i said I saw this coming, because I have no idea this was going to happen. I thought for sure that the coach would be gone after what happened in the Stanley Cup Playoffs against the Bruins in the Eastern Conference Finals.

Bylsma is the second-winningest coach in  franchise history, and to some it's not that much of a surprise that he was extended by 2 years. A lot of people were questioning Ray Shero's decision to keep the coach around after this years fall out in the Playoffs, including myself. When asked about it, he had this to say: "I have a very good coach moving forward that I want to lead this team. I want to reward him with an extension that shows him and shows people that he's my coach and I believe in him."

Shero did have to meet with owners Mario Lemieux and Ron Burkle, and Shero was going to go to bat to keep Bylsma a member of the Penguins. One argument that he would have in his back pocket, would have been that Dan is 201-92-25 since taking over the team in 2009 for  Michael Therrien. Well it turns out that he wouldn't have to fight very hard for Dan to stay on the team as both Lemieux and Burkle were fully on board with keeping that coach around.

If this were my team, I wouldn't have given him his extension just yet. I would have given him one more year to prove himself, then if and only if he did, I would have extended his contract. Now most would say that that's not a good way to run a team, but I think otherwise. If you make him work for his job, I could only imagine what he would do with this team, and the talent that they have on it. They would be even more unstoppable then they were in the regular season this past year. They would have made an even better Stanley Cup run in the following year, and I would have signed him to a very nice long contract.

I know this is out of my hands, and that Bylsma is on the team for the next two years. I'm very interested in see what he will do and the moves that Pittsburgh makes in the offseason, as they are wanted to move some players around. I don't think it's a good idea to move anyone, they should just keep the team as is, and try to make another run for Lord Stanley's Cup.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Eastern Conference Finals

Hey All,

Below is a video blog of my take of the Eastern Conference Finals. I go over the stats and my take on how the finals will play our.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IfsRaaYSYCc&feature=youtube_gdata

Kidd To Retire

Knicks' Kidd retiring after 19 NBA seasons http://espn.go.com/new-york/nba/story/_/id/9337625/jason-kidd-new-york-knicks-retiring-19-nba-seasons?

Found this on ESPN

Rutgers Gets Worse?

Report: Rutgers AD at center of 2008 lawsuit http://espn.go.com/new-york/college-sports/story/_/id/9319545/julie-hermann-new-rutgers-scarlet-knights-ad-reportedly-center-sex-discrimination-suit?

Found this on ESPN though you would like to see it for yourself.

Double Overtime Winner

Hey All,

The Pittsburgh Penguins and the Ottawa Senators had one of the best game 3's I've ever seen in my life. Both of these teams were not going to give up a thing. The game went into double overtime and had a very spectacular finish.

To find out what my thoughts on this game are visit the link to my video blog at the bottom of the post

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1lNBv9IRBQE&feature=youtube_gdata

Barber Calls It Quits

Hey All,

Today is a sad day in Buccaneer land, as 16 year veteran Ronde Barber is hanging up the cleats. After 16 years, Ronde never missed a game and never wore any other uniform but a Tampa Bay Jersey, and he wanted to finish that way.

"Ronde is synonymous with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, establishing himself as one of our franchise's iconic players over a 16-year, Hall of Fame- worthy career," said Buccaneers Co-Chairman Joel Glazer. "When anyone thinks of Ronde, they think of a true professional and leader. He approached every day the same, giving everything he had to make himself and his teammates the best they could be. We will miss him."

I don't think it could be said any better than what Glazer said. Ronde was loved in Tampa, and he is going to be missed there. Lets take a look at what he did in those 16 years with the club.

He has recorded 47 interceptions and 28 sacks in his career. This makes him the only player in NFL history with at least 40 picks and 25 sacks. Along with this he has more sacks than any other cornerback in league history, and he is 16th most in interception return yards. Ronde also made 200 of his 232 career starts consecutively at cornerback, the longest streak by any cornerback in NFL history. With all those starts happening Barber became the only defensive back since the 1970 AFL-NFL merger to start each one of his team's games for 12 consecutive seasons. He's also scored a remarkable 14 non-offensive touchdowns (you can make it 15 if you count the playoffs), this is fourth-best total in NFL history behind only that of Deion Sanders, Devin Hester, and Rod Woodson.

With stats like these Barber earned himself five trips to the Pro Bowl and five Associated Press All-Pro selections, three first-team and two second-team. Barber also was named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s. Barber has won nine NFC Player of the Week Awards (plus one more in the postseason), the most in Tampa Bay Buccaneers team franchise history. He was a key part of 11 top-10 defenses and three number one-ranked pass defenses. And last but not least, Ronde helped lead the 2002 Buccaneers to the first Super Bowl Championship in franchise history.

With all the awards, and numbers that he put up, it's just a waiting game now to see when (not if) he gets into the Hall of Fame. My personal opinion, he will be a first ballet Hall of Famer. You can try and argue that he wont, but then I will just have to tell you to look at his numbers, because numbers never lie. Barber is in the top of every category there is to have for his position, so it really makes sense for him to retire. There's really nothing else to accomplish, except another Championship, but I don't see that happening in the near future. I really hope I'm wrong on that last statement, because I am a huge Buccaneers fan.

Yes I am sad to see Ronde Barber go, but I understand it. He will be greatly missed, and the team will not be the same without his leadership out there.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports. 

Pens Take Game One

Hey All,

Tonight was the best day of all for all hockey fans, it's the start of the NHL Playoffs, and boy did it kick off with a bang.

That game that I will be focusing on is the Pittsburgh Penguins Vs. the New York Islanders. This is a one seed (Pittsburgh) and a eight seed (New York) and did it ever seem that way.

The Pens came out of the gate with a fire underneath of them all game long. They got a quick goal from rookie B. Bennett as he sneaks one past the blocker shoulder of goaltender Nabokov to get his first Playoff Goal ever. That came at the  3:30 mark, and there wouldn't be another goal scored until the 12:23 by Super Duper Dupuis. That would be how the first period would end, and boy would the intensity of this game pick up from here.

Kris Letang would get a very quick goal to start the second period at the 1:19 mark, and on just the second shot of the period, Dupuis would get his second goal of the game at the 1:51 mark. This would end Nabokov's night. They would bring in back-up goaltender Poulin to see if he could do any better against the Penguins offense. The fifth and final goal of the game came at the 13:07 mark of the second period by Tanner Glass.

Besides the scoring in this game, the hits were outstanding. Both teams were finishing off their checks, and giving it all they had. The Islanders might have won the battle in the hit department (numbers wise) with 41-36, they didn't win the war. The Penguins had there "tough guys" out there to show they aren't backing down from anyone. Letang, Murry, Marrow, and Engelland were "Lighten up" all night. The game got a little chippy near the end of the game as the Islanders started taking cheap shots to the Penguins Stars. Jussi had a shot to his legs and in the knee and ankle area, which could be very dangerous from a player to take that kind of open ice hit.

This game was the Penguins to loss, and I think the rest of the series is going to be the same way as this one went. With the Penguins being the #1 seed in the Eastern Conference  they would need to play like they have all season long (even though it was a lockout shortened season). If the Pens play like they did in game one, there is no possible way that they can lose this series.

Now don't get me wrong, the Islanders are a pretty good team. They just didn't play like it tonight. If they want to have a chance in this series, they will have to make some major adjustments to have a chance Friday in game two. Though they are a good team, and deserve to be in the Playoffs, I think they are going to get swept in this series. The Pens should walk their way into the next series and possibly into the Finals, if they play the way they played tonight, for the rest of the Playoffs.

Remember I put out video blogs every Thursday on my YouTube Channel (Mbonaventura83) so check it out and let me know what ya think.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports. 

2013 Draft QB's

Hey All,

Tomorrow is the NFL Draft, and there are a few things I want to talk about with the QB's that are entering this years draft. There has been talk that this is a very "weak" draft, there's "no talent" in this draft, and that the QB's are "not impressive". Well I'm here to tell you it's simply not true.

This draft has a lot of good talent, especially at the QB position. There are several prospects that are going under the radar this year, because we all were so spoiled from last years draft. Now Luck, RGIII, Wilson, and the rest of the rookie QB's from last year were a special breed of QB, and I don't think that any one can match their talent.

There are 5 total QB's in this draft that I feel are "underrated" and I'm not holding my tongue anymore. If you want to find out my thought and how I actually feel about these certain guys, visit my video blog at the link located below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=42jQUnE5DGU

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports. 

Revis To The Bucs

Hey All,

Today is the day when Darrelle Revis leaves the New York Jets, as a trade was finalized with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers gave up two draft picks, including the 13th overall pick in Thursdays Draft. The other pick that the Bucs gave up would be a conditional pick in the fourth-round of the 2014 draft. If Revis makes it to the third day of the 2014 league year, the Jets would receive a third-round pick.

Revis' deal is for 6 years $96 Million which would make Revis Island the highest-paid defensive back in NFL history, but according to some sources, Revis will receive no guaranteed money. With this money and new contract, Revis is happy to be in Tampa Bay. Plus, Florida has no state income tax, so Revis will pay less then $528,200 he would have had to pay on is $6 million salary in New Jersey this season.

For more on the Revis trade, visit my YouTube page at mbonaventura83

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports. 

NFL Draft

Hey All,

As I'm sure most of you know, the NFL Draft is next week and I can't wait to see who will be drafted in the first round. I know that everyone was spoiled from last years draft with all the QB talent that was there. There were 5 Rookie QB's that were starters in the NFL last season.

I think this draft will be the year of the Offensive Lineman. There are a lot of good prospects coming from the Left Tackle position. For more information see the attached video at the top of the blog, or visit my YouTube page and subscribe to my Channel (Mbonaventura83). 

Penguins Injury Update

New Video Blog,
You can also find it with more on my YouTube Channel so subscribe at Mbonaventura83

Pens V. Lightning

Hey All,

Tonight, April 11th 2013, the Pittsburgh Penguins took on the Tampa Bay Lightning, and boy what a game it was. The Penguins won this game 6-3, but really it wasn't even a contest.

The scoring got started in the first period with new comer to the Pen J. Jokinen beats goaltender B. Bishop off of his skate. This came after, yet another new comer. B. Marrow took a wrist shot off the pad of B. Bishop. The Lightning would answer back after going down 2-0 on a tip in by T. Purcell beating Thomas Vokoun. This would end the First Period.

The Pens came out firing in the second as Chris Kunitz beats Bishop on a slap shot just 1:48 into the Second Period. This would be quickly answered by the Bolts just under 4 minutes later as Connolly beats Vokoun on a Wrist Shot. Other than these two goals the only other action would be the amount of Penalties that were commited in this period. There were 3 Penalties against the Lightning as Malone gets a high sticking call against Iginla, St Louis gets a hooking call against Letang, and finally a roughing call on Gudas against Engelland. The Pens would have Penalties against Niskanen for roughing Labrie, Bennett had a hooking call against Stamkos, and Engelland would return the roughing call against Gudas.

The Third Period would continue the scoring as Malkin takes a Wrist Shot past Bishop. The new comer Jokinen would score again on another tip in. Tanner Glass would add the final score the Pens would get beating Bishop on another Wrist Shot. Purcell would try and find a glimmer of hope, as he added one more goal for the Lightning, making the final score 6-3 in favor of the Pens.

When you take a look at the box scores, it's really not that surprising that the Pens won this game. The Penguins out shot the Lightning 41 - 19 and the Lightning had 11 to the Pens 7 the Pens also blocked more though it was only by one. The one outstanding thing to me was the amount of Penalty Minutes that Tampa Bay had this game. They had 37 Penalty Minutes, IN ONE GAME! There is no possible way to win games when for almost 2 out of the 3 periods in the game, you go on the PK.

I can't believe that the Lightning were so undisciplined in this game, which really gave the Penguins the game. Now I'm a huge Pens fan, and they are killing it this year, and are my pick for the Stanley Cup. But with how easy Tampa Bay made it for them, it wasn't that much of a challenge for them. Can't wait to see how the rest of the Pens season goes.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports. 

AHL Update

Hey All,

Now I wouldn't claim to talk about everything sports, if I didn't actually talk about everything sports. Tonight I am going to go over a team that I know, not a lot of people probably talk about. That team would be the Wilkes-Berre/Scranton Baby Penguins. Yes that's right, I will be talk about the AHL Affiliate to the Pittsburgh Penguins.

The Penguins are the hottest team in the AHL, they are now on a 5 game winning streak and aren't looking back. Their winning streak started on April 2 as they defeated the Admirals 3-2, but the game was a dog fight till the end. Trevor Smith notched his 21st goal of the season just four minutes into the first period. Kolarik added just his second assist of the night with a goal from Riley Holzapfel at the 15:09 mark of the second period, and just a short 3:30 seconds later Chris Collins added a 3rd goal giving the Penguins a 3-0 lead going into the third. The Admirals took away the shutout hopes just 5 minutes into the third period though, with a goal from Kyle Bonis, and a second goal by Devante Smith-Pelly with a PP goal at the 14:24 mark in the third. But the Penguins goaltender, Jeff Zatkoff made 17 saves after that third goal to give the Penguins the win.

April 5th, the Wilkes-Berre would be in another dog fight as they took the Adirondack Phantoms into OT, to pick up yet another 3-2 win. This was a great win as it gave Wilkes-Berre a 4-0-0-0 record over the Phantoms in the season series. The scoring in this game didn't get started until the 5:25 mark of the second period by the Phantoms' Garrett Roe, but was quickly answered back with a PP goal less than four minutes later. Both teams would get one more goal a peace from Riley Holzapfel (Penguins) and Shane Harper (Phantoms). The game would be won in the first 2 minutes of the OT period with Alex Grant putting the puck behind the goaltender at the 1:19 mark in OT.

To make this a little quicker for you guys, on April 6th Wilkes-Berre shutout the Devils, and on April 7th beat the Bears 4-3 in yet another close game.

Wilkes-Berre has tied Milwaukee for the most one point victories in the AHL. Also an amazing mark would be that of goaltender Jeff Zatkoff has not allowed more than 2 goals in seven consecutive starts, and has gone 6-1-0. He has a league leading 1.95 goals against average and has now won 5 in a row.

All in all, from what the numbers show me, the Baby Penguins are looking very good in their last 4 games. They've fought back from being down, held a lead, and were able to show their might against another team. They have league leaders on their team in Zatkoff, and all have a chance to make the Pittsburgh Penguins during the season, as they are having injury problems, or even next season as they may lose players due to trades, contracts ending, or even retirement. I like what I'm seeing from these kids trying to make it to the NHL and they certainly are playing like it. Let's just hope that if they do make it up to the Big Leagues that they keep this level of play up and help the Pens to yet another Stanley Cup Championship.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports

Rice Due 100K

Hey All,

Today I recently found out that EX-Rutgers head men's basketball coach Mike Rice is due a bonus of $100,000. Now this is absolutely ridiculous to me because of the reason why he was fired. For those of you who don't know why he was fired, Rice was fired for verbally and physically abusing his players. Now that being said, does that sound like someone who deserves their bonus? It sure doesn't to me, and if I was the athletic director, he wouldn't be receiving any type of bounce from me.

Now according to Rice's contract, if he finished the 2012-2013 season, then he would be awarded his bonus of $100,000. In my eyes his contract should be voided because of the reason as to why he was fired, but unfortunately it's not my call to make.

Rice was paid $622,500 and had bonuses for winning games and graduating players. The problem is, that some players quit, or transferred schools because of Rice's actions in practice. So right there, no bonus for you because you're the reason kids are leaving the schools.

Now, the video of him screaming gay slurs at the kids, slapping them in the back of the heads, throwing basketballs at them, and even shoving them around the court was brought to the athletic directors attention in December. He felt that it was best to just discipline the coach with a three game suspension and a $50,000 fine with anger management classes. If Rice would have been fired on the spot then, like he should have been, then he would not have been entitled to his bonus, but since nothing was done he is entitled to his bonus because he "completed" his contract obligations.

According to foxspots.com and Athletic Spokesmen Jason Baum Rice will be receiving his bonus of $100,000 because he did technically completed the terms of his contract, and they are legally obligated to give him his money. I just think that they could find a way to not pay him because of his actions, the loss of students to Rutgers University, and the consoling that some of the players had to go through because of the coach.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports. 

Geno Smith

Hey All,

Today I was shocked to hear that there were negative comments made about one Geno Smith, QB from WVU. Now I was critical of Geno when he was at WVU, but that's me, and that doesn't mean that he is a bad QB. For Nolan Nawrocki to say all of these negative things about him is ridiculous.

Nawrocki should be ashamed of himself to say what he said about Geno. He could have possibly ruined this kids life, and career as a football player. Here is a kid who is my eyes has been the best QB at WVU. Now, I know everyone will come out and say I'm wrong, but here are some facts for you. Just last year alone, Geno completed over 70% of his passes, had an average of 8.1 yards per pass, with 42 touchdowns to just 6 interceptions, and last but not least he threw for 4205 yards. To make matters even better he had a QB rating of 163.9, are you kidding me? Those stats speak for themselves. 

Nawrocki went on record saying that Geno has "questionable football IQ, a marginal work ethic and an inability to inspire teammates"  among other negative comments. These comments are just wrong, they even got ESPN show host Stephen A Smith up in arms, and rightfully so. I couldn't agree more with him. 

If you don't believe, not only me but Stephen A Smith, here's one more person who agrees with both of us. WVU quarterback coach Jake Spavital had this to say "I was laughing with Geno about it Monday night and I said, 'Welcome to the business,'" Spavital told USA Today. He's also gone on record in saying that Geno is a NFL teams "dream come true" and even went as far as compairing him to NFL rookie Brandon Weeden. He says that Geno could come into a team and start from day one, and he didn't think that about Weeden. He's also said that Geno is "competitive and passionate" and that he has an "awesome" personality. 

Now these comments were coming for someone who's worked with Geno for 4 years while he was at WVU, and if he doesn't know about him, I don't know anyone else who would. I can't stress enough that Geno will do well in the NFL. Again he was the best "Quarterback" that WVU has had in a long time. Pat White was the best athlete that WVU has had, but not the best QB. Marc Bulger, in my eyes, comes in at a very close second. 

All in all this man, Nawrocki, shouldn't have said what he said about Geno. I think he will have a wave of angry West Virginians coming for him, and nobody wants that. I'll say it again, Geno will be a first round pick, he will do well in the NFL, and I'm sure he will earn a starting job on an NFL team, and you can take that to the bank.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports

15 Straight

Hey All,

An amazing feat has been accomplished in Pittsburgh. The Pittsburgh Penguins have won their 15 straight game in a row, coming two games shy of the record for conviction games won.

The record is 17 which the Pens can tie that record Wednesday April 3rd in New York, as they will face the Rangers. This is a very reachable record for the Pens to break as the Sabres and Rangers are very beatable teams. Pittsburgh has beaten both these teams already this season, and since then they had add 3 more captions to their team.

With the talent that Pittsburgh has on their team this season, there is no reason they shouldn't make it to the Stanley Cup Finals. There's only one little wrinkle at this point in the season, and that is caption and NHL leading scoring Sydney Crosby is out for who knows how long. Crosby was taken to a Pittsburgh hospital yesterday afternoon, after taking a slap shot off of Brookes Oprik was deflected off a stick and hit him right in the mouth.

Word from Dan Bylsma, Penguins head coach, is that Crosby had oral surgery yesterday when taken to the hospital. The other word on the street is that Crosby is missing some teeth now after taking that shot to the mouth. Now me personally, I would love to see Sid the Kid with missing teeth and start to look like a hockey player. But knowing how he is and how he's perceived, he probably had those teeth replaced during the surgery.

Normally I would say that the Pens are in big trouble without Crosby in the line up, but with the talent they've acquired I think he can take a few games rest.

I can't wait to see if the Pens are able to break the record and keep this winning streak going for as long as possible.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports.

Upset City!

Hey All,

It's March Madness, and boy has it been exciting. There has been more Cinderella stories this year then in years past. We have seen everything from a 15 seed knocking off a 2 seed and a 7 seed to make it to the Sweet 16. Florida Golf Cost shocked the world when that happened, but their run would end there as The University of Florida would be the team to knock them out of the tournament.

That run was impressive, but there's another school that is keeping the momentum going. Wichita State, a 9 seed, has knocked off a 8 seed in Pitt, a number 1 seed in Gonzaga, and last night they knocked off 2 seed Ohio State. They have made the and are the fifth 9 seed or lower to make the The final 4, no 9 seed has ever won in that game. If Wichita State plays like they did in the Elite 8, they will be the first 9 seed to make the Final Four.

The Shockers held OSU to 31.1 percent from the field, which is the second lowest of the season for the Buckeyes. OSU wasn't getting it done from 3 point land either, only going 5-25, that's not getting it done when your playing from behind.

All in all, Wichita State is making a good push for a championship this year. It's going to beat tough road for the to try and make it that far, and history is against them. But if the Shockers play like they did last night, I don't know who will be able to stop them. The only team that could end their run would be Louisville. They are the best team in the tournament right now and Wichita State won't stand a chance against them if they meet in the tourny.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports

Tiger Is Back?

Hey All,

Okay, I'm going to get right to the point. Everyone who is saying that Tiger Woods is back to being the Tiger of old, isn't watching the same Tiger that I am. Woods is still very inconsistent with his driver. He's been driving the ball into the trees and deep into the rough, and he hasn't won a major this year.

Yes, I know that Woods has won 3 tournaments this year, but non of them were majors. And I know that he is back to being the #1 player in the world, but until he wins a major, that number means nothing.

Now I don't plan to know a lot about golf, but I know enough that if you're hitting your tee shot into the rough, the trees, or the sand traps isn't going to help your chances of winning any tournaments let alone a major.

Tiger has improved his putting game, but putting isn't your entire game. He will need to work on his tee shots before these majors start up. Augusta is a very difficult course to play, and Tiger will have to keep his tee shots in the fairway rather than in the traps. To look at how he's played this year, it looks a little like this: Jan 24 he wins the Farmers Insurance with a -14, not bad at all. Next would be the WGC Match Play on Feb 20 where he finished T33 a terrible performance and he was eliminated in the first round. Later that month, on the 28, he was in the Honda Classic where he T37 with a +4, again pretty terrible. Now he would turn it around in Mar 7 he won that tournament with a -19, and just this past weekend finishes first again with a -13 at the Arnold Palmer Classic. These are the kind of rounds he needs to put up round in and round out.

To suggest that Tiger is back just because he's got a new girlfriend, and is back to being the #1 player in the world, and he's started to play better than usual, is just outrageous. Now if this talk was coming out after a Major Championship then I would believe it a little bit more than I do right now.

Until next time,
You keep doing what you do, and I'll keep you up to date with everything sports

Fight To The Finish

Hey All,

I know I've take a few weeks off, but I'm back now to give you some sports news. Today was the Auto Club 400 at Fontana California, and tempers were high. Two drivers, Denny Hamlin and Joey Logano, former teammates last year were the main two going at it today.

This fight started a lot longer than just last week at Bristol, it started when they were teammates at Joe Gibbs Racing. These two just don't like each other, and it showed today during the race. Both Logano and Hamlin were bumping and racing hard all race long. To be honest, it was good clean racing up until the last few laps.

That's the part of the race that I will be talking about, the final 10 laps. There was a caution with 15 to go because Clint Bowyer blew an engine. So when it came time for the green flag again there were only 10 laps left to go, and Logano was in first and Kyle Bush was in second. Right behind Logano was Tony Stewart, who had a fast car all day long. As soon as the green flag dropped that's when things got real interesting. Logano put a block on Stewart and almost sent him into the infield. This gave Bush the chance to take the lead. He quickly lost the lead to Hamlin and it because the rivals up in the front with Logano and Hamlin battling for the lead.

Now lets skip up to the final two laps to go. It's still Logano and Hamlin in one-two and Bush lingering in third place. Dale Jr had worked his way up into the 5th spot, coming all the way from 21st place. As they came down the back stretch Hamlin and Logano were drag racing for the lead, bumping one another all the way down the back stretch. This left room for Bush to make his move and slide into the lead coming off of turn 4 heading for the start finish line. As Hamlin and Logano were fighting for what is now 2nd or 3rd place, they wreck each other. Logano slides up into the way and slides his way to a 6th place finish, Hamlin was not as lucky. He got sideways went off the track and into the infield wall where there was no safer barrier. He climbed out of the car under his own power but quickly collapse. He was taken away in a ambulance to the care center. NASCAR said Hamlin was taken to a nearby hospital "for further evaluation" but otherwise his condition was not immediately known.

The way Logano and Hamlin were racing the last few laps, I had no problem with. It was what happened off of turn four that I have a problem with. Both drivers could have been seriously hurt, and we're still not sure that Denny is ok. Another thing is that it gave Kyle Bush the win witch I hate to see. The only good thing that came from all the wreckage, is Dale Jr slid his way into second place. By Jr taking second it moves him into first overall in the points standings, which a lot of people love seeing.

Now after the race, Tony Stewart ran up to Logano and started a fight on pit lane. It was quickly broken up, and later voiced his opinion on what Logano did on the last restart. I hope that everyone is okay, and that Hamlin is able to return in two weeks when they go to Martinsville Virginia.