And The Sports Oscar Goes To...........

The Academy Awards are the biggest night of the year for films. Every year, the Golden Statues are handed out to the highest achievement in all of film. From a Sports perspective, films aren't that well recognized at the Oscars. Sure we have had sports films win the big award for Best Picture, like Rocky (1976), Chariots of Fire (1981) and Million Dollar Baby (2004) have walked away with Oscars. And sure we have had others nominated, like Raging Bull (1980), Field of Dreams (1989), Jerry Maguire (1996), The Blind Side (2009), The Fighter (2010) and Moneyball (2011). But there isn't enough respect for the world of Sports in Film. So we are going to change that right now. We are going to give out a full range of Oscars, from Best picture, Best picture (in each major sport) Best comedy, best actor and best actress. So here now are the sporting oscars for 2015!

Best Picture
Rocky
Miracle
Hoosiers
The Natural
Million Dollar Baby
Field of Dreams
Raging Bull
Remember The Titans

For this topic it was a bit of a challenge to be able to grab the eight  greatest sports movies to choose from, since there have been countless outstanding films to choose from. These eight listed have proven to be the best films ever made. Its hard with good comedy's out there too but they get their own award a little later on. There are some tough choices to make, this being one of them. Here though we go with a heavyweight title fight. Sylvester Stallone got the inspiration for the screenplay after watching the heavyweight title fight between Bayonne’s Chuck Wepner and reigning champ Muhammad Ali, and insisted he play the lead. Good call.

Winner: Rocky

Best Comedy
Slap Shot
Major League
Caddyshack
White Men Can’t Jump
BASKetball
Goon
A League Of Their Own
The Longest Yard

This one is a bit of a tough call between three movies. It came down to Major League, Slap Shot and Caddyshack. Caddyshack was the first movie that really made golf cool to watch (sort of). With Slap Shot and Major League both movies were over the top and became cult classics. Major League had huge stars all over the place and is still one of the most popular baseball movies ever made. Same thing can be said for Slap Shot, even though the only major star turned out to be Paul Neuman. It was a tough call but in this case we have to go right back where we started from.

Winner: Slap Shot

Best Actor:
Denzel Washington in Remember the Titans
Clint Eastwood in Million Dollar Baby
Sylvester Stallone in Rocky
Paul Newman in The Hustler
Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull

Stallone put on such an outstanding performance in Rocky when it came out in 1976, he finished runner up to Best actor that year to Peter Finch for his role in Network. It was his first big break and the film franchise took off. For my money it was the 2nd greatest acting performance in a sports movie every. There was one role that topped what Stallone did in Rocky. That was DeNiro in Raging Bull. DeNiro trained so hard with Jake La Motta at the Gramercy Gym for over half a year that he earned the fighter’s praise and didn’t need a boxing double for a single scene. Then he gained 55 pounds to portray an older La Motta in one of the top performances in history, winning an Academy Award.

Winner: Robert DeNiro in Raging Bull

Best Actress
Susan Sarandon in Bull Durham
Sandra Bullock in The Blind Side
Geena Davis in A League Of Their Own
Talia Shire in Rocky
Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby

There are some good nominees for this award. Geena Davis really made that role stand out in A League Of Their Own. Talia Shire was also just as outstanding in Rocky. But all those roles come up short when compared to what Hilary Swank did as Maggie in Million Dollar Baby. She swept the Oscars, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild, and despite controversy over the euthanasia theme, the heart she brought to Maggie and gut-wrenching hospital scenes with Eastwood was truly outstanding. She made that role her own and took her performance to the next level. It was a true work of art.

Winner: Hilary Swank in Million Dollar Baby

Best Football Film
The Blind Side
The Express
Invincible
We Are Marshall
Remember The Titans
The Longest Yard (1974 film)
Rudy

There have been a number of outstanding football films that have been made over the years that didn't make the cut for the best ever. Out of what's listed above you could make the argument for any one of them. American Football has produced some of the greatest films in cinema history, where any one of these films could take home the award for best football picture. The debate was a tough one, coming down to three films: Blind Side, The Express and Remember The Titans. All three films left you leaving the theater walking out knowing that you had seen a work of art. I give the nod to Remember the Titans just barley over The Express and a close third to Blind Side. The top two saw the same social issues of Race, but Remember the Titans gets the nod more because of how great the acting was and the way it was shot.

Winner: Remember The Titans

Best Baseball Film
The Natural
Bull Durham
61*
Eight Men Out
Filed of Dreams
Major League
Moneyball
For Love of The Game

America's pastime has been featured on the Big Screen in a number of great films. Much like the sport of Football, Baseball has had so many great films that there are too many to try and list here, outside of the ones that are nominated. What makes a good baseball film is something that shows how great the game and the sport can truly be. Which is why I'm giving the nod to Field of Dreams. It could possibly go to any of the movies listed. Field gets it because of its sentimental nature. It's a mix of fairy tale, baseball, and family togetherness. It shows some of the truly great things that this great game can do to people. It can bring people and family closer together.

Winner: Field of Dreams

Best Basketball Film
White Men Can't Jump
Hoosiers
He Got Game
Blue Chips
The Air Up There
Coach Carter
Love and Basketball

Much like the first two categories, there have been some pretty unforgettable basketball flicks that have graced the silver screen. We've been blessed with a number of unforgettable sports flicks over the past few decades, basketball hits like Hoosiers or White Men Can't Jump. What makes basketball films so good is the action on the court and the guys who make those scenes come to life in the film. He Got Game was one of the greatest hoops movies ever, but the big knock against it was that it was a slow moving, and somewhat long, film. Coach Carter has an argument too for how it was able to showcase sports in order to ignore life's darker realities. But the one basketball that will top them all has to be Hoosiers. Whether it's overbearing parents, gossip, or otherwise, Hoosiers shows how our greatest battles in sports often happen before we even step foot on the court.

Winner: Hoosiers

Best Hockey Movies
Slap Shot
Miracle
Mighty Ducks Franchise
Mystery, Alaska
Youngblood
Goon

Even though the sport isn't as popular as the other sports on this list, some of the films made have been outstanding. Like Hollywood, the world of hockey is filled with drama, suspense, comedy and triumph. Each of then films listed have captured that essence without being overtly cliched and over the top. Some of the pieces feature famous actors, while others are filled with unknowns. Slap Shot will go down as one of the most iconic films ever for its comedic timing, and that it was one of the first films to really get an in depth look at some of what happens in the not so glorious world of minor league hockey. And while slap shot is the funniest sports movie of all time, it somewhat falls short in its own category. The greatest hockey movie ever made has to go to Miracle. Kurt Russell is fantastic as plaid-loving U.S. Olympic coach Herb Brooks. Listening to Russell/Brook's pregame speech will have you looking for your stick and skates. Part of what made this film so great was that you were left to actually wonder about the outcome of games that were played 30 years ago. Plenty of goose-bump moments make this film an absolute must-watch.

Winner: Miracle

#1 Oswego vs. #9 Plattsburgh. Whiteout Weekend Is Here!

Rivalry. Lets take a look at that word for a moment. By definition, a Rivalry is competition for the same objective or for superiority in the same field. When it comes to College Hockey, at the Division III level, you won't find a rivalry bigger than the one between the Oswego State Lakers and Plattsburgh State Cardinals. These two titans in SUNYAC hockey square off Friday Night in Oswego. The game has become an annual event on the shores of Lake Ontario. That's right. Whiteout Weekend has finally arrived!

Oswego State and SUNY Plattsburgh have seen each other as arch-rivals for over 40 years, with both institutions being known as national powerhouses in men’s ice hockey. For those who might be unfamilar with this tradition, here's how it goes down. These two teams used to play each other over at Romney Fieldhouse. When they play in Plattsburgh, the Cardinal fans throw tennis balls on the ice after goals. So in response, when they played at Romney, Oswego fans would throw bagels on the ice. That lasted until 2005, when Oswego was called for a delay of game penalty and it cost them the hockey game. Oswego initiated a new tradition when the Campus Center Ice Arena was opened in 2006. Fans were encouraged by the athletic department to partake in a “white out.” Fans now wear all white to the contest, which makes the Marino Center Ice Arena an even tougher building to try and play in.

Plattsburgh is the only school that has a winning record against Oswego. The Lakers come into tonight's action with a all time season series record of 34-71-6. Since the start of the 2009-10 season, Oswego has lost twice to Plattsburgh on home ice, that's including playoffs. The last time Plattsburgh dominated Oswego whiteout weekend was a 2-1 win during the 2008-09 season. Ironically enough, that weekend, much like this one, was senior weekend in Oswego. These two teams already met once this season, that being a 3-1 Oswego win on December 5th up at Stafford Ice Arena. Chris Waterstreet, Chris Raguseo and Bobby Gertsakis handled the scoring while Matt Zawadzki stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced.

That was back in December. A lot has changed between then and now. Going into tonight's matchup, Plattsburgh is the 9th best team in the nation, according to the latest coaches polls, while Oswego comes in as the top team in all of Division III college hockey! So lets see just how these teams stack up against each other shall we.

Offense:
Oswego - 4.86 goals per game 1st in nation
Plattsburgh - 4.22 goals per game 8th in nation

Defense:
Oswego - 2.13 goals against T-9th in nation
Plattsburgh - 1.91 goals against T-5th in nation

Power Play:
Oswego - 27-of-82 32.93% 2nd in nation
Plattsburgh - 20-of-108 18.52% 32nd in Nation

Penalty Kill:
Oswego - 60-of-72 83.3% 29th in Nation
Plattsburgh - 74-of-89 83.1% T-32nd in Nation

Top Scoreres:
Oswego:
7 Shawn Hulshof 18G 20A 38P -4th in Nation
16 Alex Botten 9G 25A 34P -8th in Nation
44 Matt Galati 9G 16A 25P

Plattsburgh:
13 Connor Toomey 7G 17A 24P
26 Michael Cassidy 11G 11A 22P
24 Mark Constantine 8G 11A 19P

Goalies:
Oswego:
1 Matt Zawadzki 10-1-1 2.11 GAA .923 SV% 1 SO
34 Justin Gilbert 6-1-2 1.54 GAA ,933 SV% 1 SO

Plattsburgh:
34 Brady Rouleau 9-5-0 1.99 GAA .917 SV% 4 SO
31 Spencer Finney 8-0-1 1.79 GAA .936 SV% 1 SO

The table is now set. All the players are in place. Let the party begin. WHITEOUT NIGHT HAS FINALLY ARRIVED!

Yankees To Retire Three Numbers

The New York Yankees. One of baseballs oldest professional franchises. This club has won 27 world championships, more than any other team in any professional sport. Twenty Five guys have played for this baseball team are now enschrined in the Baseball Hall of fame (with two more to come in Mariano Rivera and Derek Jeter). To go along with that, the Yankees have retired seventeen numbers for nineteen individuals, the most in Major League Baseball. Those numbers are 1 (Billy Martin), 3 (Babe Ruth), 4 (Lou Gehrig), 5 (Joe DiMaggio), 6 (Joe Torre), 7 (Mickey Mantle), 8 (Bill Dickey and Yogi Berra), 9 (Roger Marris), 10 (Phil Rizzuto), 15 (Thurman Munson), 16 (Whitey Ford), 23 (Don Mattingley), 32 (Elston Howard), 37 (Casey Stengel), 42 (Jackie Robinson league wide and Mariano Rivera), 44 (Reggie Jackson) and 49 (Ron Guidry). During the 2015 season, you can add three brand new numbers to that list.

The Yankees announced on Monday that they will retire the uniform numbers of Bernie Williams (51), Jorge Posada (20) and Andy Pettitte (46) in pregame ceremonies at Yankee Stadium this season. In addition, Willie Randolph, a member of the Yankees' 1977 and 1978 world championship teams, will be honored with a plaque in Monument Park. Williams ceremony will take place Sunday, May 24th, before the game against the Texas Rangers. Posada will have his number retired Saturday, August 22nd before an afternoon game against the Cleveland Indians. Pettite will have his number retired the next day, Sunday August 23rd also against the Cleveland Indians. Finally, Willie Randolph will have his statue in Monument park revealed during Old Timers' Day festivities before a Saturday night game against the Detroit Tigers.

Bernie Williams will be the first to get his number retired. Williams played his entire 16-year career with the Yankees, spanning from 1991 to 2006. During his time in the Bronx, Bernie hit .297 in 2,076 games played in pinstripes. He finished with 2,336 hits, which sits 5th most in team history, to go along with 287 home runs and 1,257 RBI's. He is the club leader with 22 postseason home runs and 80 postseason RBIs. By the time his playing career ended, Bernie sits 2nd all-time in doubles, 4th all-time in walks, 5th all-time in hits, 5th all-time in extra-base hits, 6th all-time in home runs, and 6th all-time in RBIs in Yankees history (as of 2008). Bernie went on to win four Gold Gloves in the outfield from 1997-2000. Bernie played in five all star games (1997–2001), he manged to pull in four World Series Rings(1996, 1998–2000), winning the MVP of the ALCS in 1996. He collected a Silver Slugger Award in 2002 and finally an AL batting champion in 1998. One of the big things that Bernie did was come up in the clutch in the playoffs. He would pick up a big hit every now and again come October. He wasn't the flashiest outfielder of all time but damn he was good.

Jorge Posada will also see his number retired this season. Posada played his entire 17-year career with the Yankees, spanning from 1995 to 2011. During his time in the Bronx, Posada hit .273 lifetime in 1,829 games. Jorge finished with 275 home runs and 1,065 RBI's during the regular season. He is second all time with 125 postseason games. During that time, Jorge won 4 World Series (1998–2000, 2009), he played in the midsummer classic five time (2000–2003, 2007) and collected five Silver Slugger Awards (2000–2003, 2007). Jorge may not have the outstanding power numbers, but he was a solid hitter. Besides an offensive upside, what made Jorge so good was how he was able to handle the Yankees pitching staff. He knew how to work the strike zone and knew how to get a feel for every one of his pitchers. It was a art form watching him behind the plate.

Last but not least will be Andy Pettite to get his number retired. Pettitte finished his career with a 256-153 record and 3.85 ERA. Pettite spent a total of 15 years in pinstripes. In the Bronx, Pettitte went 219- 127 with a 3.94 ERA. During that time he managed to strike out 2,020 hitters. For his career, Pettitte had a 256–153 win-loss record with a 3.85 ERA and 2,448 strikeouts in 3,316 innings. Pettitte never had a losing season in the major leagues. Among Yankees pitchers, Pettitte is king of the hill with his 2,020 strikeouts are the most in team history. He is tied for first in games started with 438, and he sits third in wins (219). Pettitte and Mariano Rivera have combined for a record 81 (11 in the playoffs) win-save combinations, the most in history. Heading into the playoffs, Pettitte was just as dominate. Pettitte was 19–10 with a 3.83 ERA and 173 strikeouts in the postseason (1995–2003, 2005, 2007, 2009–2010), with the most postseason wins in MLB history. He also holds the all-time postseason record for most starts (42) and innings pitched in the postseason (263). Of course people still talk about him with steroids, but what made him different from some of the other guys who were accused of steroids was how he handled it. His quick apology and continued success on the field allowed Yankees fans and the team's management to forgive him.

Without a doubt these three guys are very deserving of having their numbers retired!

Did The Amar’e Stoudemire Experiment Work?

Basketball, especially here in New York, is extremely popular. In any big market city, which New York City no doubt is, you are expected to win. For a long time the New York Knicks had been a team in flux, one stretch looking like a solid contender, then the next they look down and out. Five years ago, the Knicks franchise were looking to get back to winning ways and compete once again in the eastern Conference. To help do this they brought in Center Amar’e Stoudemire, hoping the big man's skill set would help make the Knicks a better team, a winning team. Well here we are five years later and that hasn't exactly happened.

Five years ago, Knicks management took a chance on Stoudemire, signing the big man to a five year deal at $99.7 million. When he was brought in, he embraced New York and the challenge of winning with the Knicks. His “The Knicks Are Back!” mantra reverberated with the fan base and brought back a lot of the confidence that had been sucked away during the Isiah Thomas era. After first coming to town, Amar'e said all the right things in the media, he worked hard to return from a number of injuries and didn’t complain when those physical ailments sent him to the bench. He was a good teammate. If that’s why Knicks fans remember and think of him so fondly, so be it, because otherwise his Knicks tenure was an unmitigated disaster. Does it surprise anybody else that no other team took a flyer on him when he left Phoenix? He had been dealing with bad knees, but the Knicks were the only team to sign him, and to a max deal at five years and close to a hundred million. That should have been a red flag right there. But the Knicks went ahead and brought him on board anyway.

When the first year here in New York, Amar'e looked decent. He played in 78 games that year, the most he played in New York. He put up some pretty decent numbers in that first year, nine straight 30-point games, 25.3 points, 8.2 rebounds a game. Those are numbers of a guy who looks to be on a rebound from what happened to him in Phoenix. Then in the playoffs, he looked decent in Game One against the Boston Celtics. After playing great in Game 1, he hurt his back in warmups of Game 2. It all went downhill from there for Amar'e. He was a shell of himself in the final three games as the Celtics swept the Knicks. The following season in the playoffs, Stoudemire cut his hand on a fire extinguisher case, costing his team yet again.

To make matters worse, Amar'e never played anywhere close to what he did that first year in the Orange and Blue. The injury bug always found a way to catch up to him again, with constant knee issues failing to keep him on the court for consistent stretches. The next three seasons saw Amar'e play 47, 29 and 65 games. And this just this season, before leaving town, he suited up just 36 games due to injuries to his back and knees. When the Knicks signed him to that contract, even in the worst-case scenario, they envisioned getting two or three full seasons out of him. He couldn’t even make it through the playoffs of his first year.

Stoudemire didn’t have a net positive effect on the Knicks’ win-loss record, either. He started his Knicks career in 2010 by going 16-9, but after that it never seemed to work. In Stoudemire’s five years with the Knicks, the team went 110-147 when he played. When he missed games, the team went 67-41.

It's funny. When Amar'e was brought into the fold here in New York, he said in his press conference "The Knicks Are Back!” Well they're back alright. They right back to where they started before handing him a huge contract filled with a whole lot of nothing. But fear not Knicks fans. There is hope. Just because the Amar'e Stoudemire contract didn't work out doesn't mean there isn't hope. With his contract now off the books, there is actual cap space to work with. Team President Phil Jackson now has even more cap space to work with to try and build a championship team.

Even though the Amar'e experiment didn't work out, there is still hope Knicks fans!

Record Setting Weekend For Oswego State Women's Hockey

This past weekend was a record setting one for the Oswego State Women's Hockey team. Both on an individual level and for the program as a whole. Stevenson University was the opponent for both games this past weekend, with Oswego taking both games to sweep the series. Friday night's win was a century mark for Head Coach Diane Dillon, while the win Saturday set a new school record for wins in a season, this coming on Senior Day.

Diane Dillon has been the only head coach that the Oswego State Women's Hockey program has ever known. She was tabbed as the coach when the team was brought back in 2006. Prior to her time as Oswego's head coach, she had spent five years as an assistant coach, among other duties, at her alma matter Cornell University.

So now heading into Friday night's action, Coach Dillon sits just one win shy of the magic 100 number. It didn't have to wait much longer. Thanks to the goal scoring efforts of Brianna Rice's 2nd period Powerplay goal and Olivia Ellis marker 35 seconds into the 3rd period proved to be more than enough offense. Senior goalie Bridget Smith made 20 saves in the shutout win, helping coach Dillon land career win #100. After the game, goalies Bridget Smith and team captain Tori Trovato were able to catch the coach with the Gatorade shower after the victory.

That wasn't the only milestone hit by the hockey club on the weekend. Oswego's previous record for wins in a season had been 16, which they set just a season ago. Now with the win Friday night, it was the 17th of the year for the team, setting a new program record for wins in a year. Saturday, the team added to that by picking up their 18th win of the year. It came on Senior day, a strong 5-2 win over Stevenson University, to complete the weekend sweep. Olivia Ellis, Alexa Aramburu (on the powerplay), Ashley Lyman, Andrea Noss (on the powerplay), and Brianna Rice (also on the Powerplay) provided the offense in this game. The lone senior on the team, Bridget Smith, held the fort down, allowing just two goals on 31 shots. Smith closed out her home career with a 34-16-4 career record, picking up 13 shutots in that outstanding four years of service. Those 13 shutouts are the school record. The season isn't over yet, as the team still has two more games to go, both in Elmira this Saturday and Sunday. Oswego has yet to pick up a win against the Soaring Eagles in their history, having a record of 0-17-1 lifetime against Elmira.

So two big numbers have fallen in one weekend. Oswego's 18 wins this season are a new school record (hopefully climbing in the final two games of the year against Elmira). Prior to this year, the school record for best record was set last year, when the team went 17-9-1. Also fallen was the fact that Diane Dillon hit the 100 win mark. Her coaching record at Oswego now sits at 101-110-14. Slowly but surely, Coach Dillon's record as head coach here at Oswego is climbing back up to .500. Considering where things looked when the program started, to where they are right now, this team and program has taken big steps in the right direction. Coach Dillon has done an outstanding job of getting the right players into the program to become a better hockey team and contend in the national rankings.

So congratulations to the team for setting the new single season record for wins and, just as important, congratulations to Diane Dillon for hitting victory #100!

(Photo provided by Oswego State Athletics)

NBA First Half Recap

We have hit the half way point of the NBA season, as All Star weekend has come and gone in New York. This season has been a crazy one to this point. This season has been filled with buzzer beaters, insane alley oops, and unreal performances. It has also been filled with surprises and disappointments with teams as a whole and individual players. Teams like Atlanta, Milwaukee, Cleveland, and Oklahoma City haven’t turned out like everyone has expected. Other teams, much like those in Philly and New York (Knicks) are playing sort of like they were expected. Some players have played above and beyond their potential, while others have gone on to be a major disappointment. Lets not waste anymore fluff shall we. Here's a look back at some of the highlights from a crazy first half of the NBA season.

As of All Star Weekend, here's the up-to the minute standings in the NBA:
Eastern Conference:
1 Atlanta Hawks * 43-11 .796
2 Toronto Raptors * 36-17 .679
3 Chicago Bulls * 34-20 .630
4 Washington Wizards 33-21 .611
5 Cleveland Cavaliers 33-22 .600
6 Milwaukee Bucks 30-23 .566
7 Miami Heat 22-30 .423
8 Charlotte Hornets 22-30 .423
9 Brooklyn Nets 21-31 .404
10 Boston Celtics 20-31 .392
11 Detroit Pistons 21-33 .389
12 Indiana Pacers 21-33 .389
13 Orlando Magic 17-39 .304
14 Philadelphia 76ers 12-41 .22
15 New York Knicks 10-43 .189

Western Conference:
1 Golden State Warriors * 42-9 .824
2 Memphis Grizzlies * 39-14 .736
3 Houston Rockets 36-17 .679
4 Portland Trail Blazers * 36-17 .679
5 Dallas Mavericks 36-19 .655
6 Los Angeles Clippers 35-19 .648
7 San Antonio Spurs 34-19 .642
8 Phoenix Suns 29-25 .537
9 Oklahoma City Thunder 28-25 .528
10 New Orleans Pelicans 27-26 .509
11 Denver Nuggets 20-33 .377
12 Sacramento Kings 18-34 .346
13 Utah Jazz 19-34 .358
14 Los Angeles Lakers 13-40 .245
15 Minnesota Timberwolves 11-42 .208

There have been quite a few surprises this season in the league, but the biggest one, for me, has been the Atlanta Hawks. When the season started, most people felt that the Hawks would squeak into the playoffs, based all on how they finished the year last year. But that's not the case. Atlanta has the best record in the East, holding a 6.5 game lead over Toronto in the East. They have won game after game by playing fantastic defense and playing as a whole unit. What really makes Atlanta different from other teams in the East is that they do not have a singular player who takes over games for them. Instead, It is a group of guys who play their hearts out every night and someone steps up to make the big plays when they are needed. The Hawks look really good, but we will have to wait and see if they can compete with the likes of the Cavaliers and Bulls. using the entire starting five of DeMarre Carroll, Al Horford, Kyle Korver, Paul Millsap, and Jeff Teague has the Hawks as the biggest surprise team in the league right now.

While they may be the biggest surprise team, they aren't the best team in the league. That record belongs to the 42-9 Golden State Warriors. The Splash Brothers of Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson have been killing it for the Warriors this season. When Golden State has all five starters on the floor at the same time, that being Andrew Bogut, Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green and Harrison Barnes, the Warriors are an outstanding 22-1. Golden State really has one of the NBA's nastiest defense by a mile and an offense that's even scarier as of late. This is an offense that's averaging 118.6 points over their past 10 games. That is just plain scary. Yes these guys are really that good. To anybody that is trying to find a hole in this basketball team, I wish you the best of luck. They are just that good.

While those teams have been fun to watch, there are two clubs who have been playing a little below par this season, that being the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Cleveland Cavaliers. With the Thunder, there were big expectations with this basketball team going into the year. Right now they are a couple games over .500, sitting 9th in the West. Injuries have been what has killed this team this season. Kevin Durant getting hurt didn't help things much, but they have not performed like everyone thought they would. They were a preseason favorite to win the West, but now they may not even get a playoff berth. Russell Westbrook has carried the team this season, and if the Thunder want to make the playoffs and make some noise, they will have to get Westbrook and Durant healthy and playing at an elite level. With how good the West is this year, it may be a tough task for OKC to climb back into this thing.

Cleveland too has been a bit of a disappointment this season. Much like the Thunder, Cleveland was a favorite at the start of the preseason to walk away with the East. But what has hurt the Cavs so far was their play in the months of November and December. Blame was being place on everyone was blaming LeBron and Blatt for all the things that were going wrong. People thought that Blatt wasn’t the right fit for the Cavs because he and LeBron James weren’t on the same page. Cleveland took those rumors out quickly, then started to turn things around with some big moves. The Cavs made trades for Timofey Mozgov, J.R. Smith, and Iman Shumpert, who have all been key contributors to the Cavs current success. This paid off, as the Cavs winning 14 out of 16 games leading up to the All-Star break. LeBron James finally looks like he is playoff ready, and the teams is following his lead. The Cavaliers are still my favorite to come out of the East this season. Sure Cleveland has turned it around right now, but they looked flat for a while, which as a shock due to all the hype going into the start of the year.

There has been some debate going on as to who has been the first half MVP. Is it Stephen Curry? Damian Lillard? Russell Westbrook even? I'd have to give the nod to Curry just slightly ahead of Lillard. Sure Lillards putting up impressive numbers in Portland with less of a support cast than Curry has in Golden State. But, Curry is the only player in the top 10 in scoring average, assists average and total 3-pointers. (James Harden is half an assist from joining the club, but his team has twice as many losses.) Bottom line is this. Stephen Curry has the ball in his hands the most in the league's best offense, and he has taken on added defensive responsibilities. With LeBron and KD not playing like themselves this year, the door has been left wide open for somebody else to step to the forfront. Stephen Curry has done just that.

With the crazy first half we have seen this season, there have been some notable games and ervents that have already taken place. On November 1, Carmelo Anthony surpassed 20,000 career points, becoming the 40th player in NBA history to do so. He reached the milestone in the 1st quarter of a 96-93 home win against the Charlotte Hornets. Then on November 11, Dirk Nowitzki surpassed Hakeem Olajuwon as the highest-scoring player born outside the United States and the 9th all-time scoring leader, as the Mavericks came from behind 24 points down to beat Sacramento 106–98 for their 21st straight regular-season win at home against the Kings. Nowitzki hit a jumper from just inside the three-point line early in the fourth quarter to pass Olajuwon at No. 9, and he finished the night at 26,953 career points.

On November 12,  Kobe Bryant entered the Record book in an area he might like to forget. Kobe surpassed John Havlicek and became the all-time leader for missed field goal attempts in the league. His career-breaking record 13,418th missed shot came at 6:22 in the fourth quarter with a missed 14-foot fadeaway in a 107-102 loss on the road against the Memphis Grizzlies. The next night, November 13, the Dallas Mavericks led the Philadelphia 76ers by 44 points, tying for the 2nd-highest leading margin in NBA History at halftime. On December 2, 2014, the Phoenix Suns announced that the US Airways Center would be renamed the Talking Stick Resort Arena.

To December we go, as on December 3, the Philadelphia 76ers and Minnesota Timberwolves created the first ever mulligan during a start of an official NBA game by nullyfing the first 16 seconds where the 76ers gained possession and drew a foul against the Timberwolves. The 76ers won their first game of the season. On December 13, 2014, Dwight Howard reached 10,000 career rebounds. Kobe Bryant entered the record books again on December 14th, when he passed Michael Jordan for third place on the all-time scoring list. He reached the mark at 5:24 in the second quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves by making two free-throw shots. Bryant finished with 26 points in the Lakers' 100-94 victory over Minnesota.

On January 5, 2015, Dirk Nowitzki passed Moses Malone to become the 7th best all-time scorer in the NBA. He scored 15 points in the Mavericks' 96-88 overtime victory over the Brooklyn Nets. The Atlanta Hawks became the sole leaders of the Eastern Conference in January for the first time since near the end of the 1993-94 NBA season. Shawn Marion would be the first player in NBA history to score over 15,000 points, grab 10,000 rebounds, have 1,500 steals, block 1,000 shots, and score over 500 three-point shots throughout his entire career. On January 15, 2015, the Los Angeles Clippers acquired Austin Rivers, the son of Clippers head coach Doc Rivers, in a three-way trade with the Boston Celtics and Phoenix Suns. Rivers is the first son to play for his father in NBA history.

On January 23, 2015, Klay Thompson entered the record books, when he scored 37 points in a quarter, when he was a perfect 13-for-13 from the field and 9-for-9 from three-point range in the third quarter of a 126–101 win over the Sacramento Kings. He broke the previous record of 33 held by George Gervin and Carmelo Anthony. The 9 three-pointers were also a league record for a quarter, surpassing the mark of 8 by Michael Redd and Joe Johnson. The 13 field goals tied David Thompson's record for a quarter. On January 31, 2015, the Atlanta Hawks became the 1st team in NBA history to go 17-0 in a month after defeating the Philadelphia 76ers.

So there you have it. A look back at an exciting first half of the NBA season!

Dean Smith Leaves His Mark

In the world of sports, whether it be college or professional, coaches can have a big impact. Whether its winning games on the court, or winning battles off of it, coaches can mold young lives, and communities as a whole for that matter in big ways. Being a success at this can be pretty good. But its more than what you do on the court that measures how great a coach you were. It's what you do off it that can also have a lasting impact. Former North Carolina Coach Dean Smith was the perfect mix. He knew how to win on it and how to win off it. Smith passed away over the weekend at the age of 83, but his legacy will never be forgotten.

Smith was the head coach for UNC basketball from 1961 to 1997. When his 32 year coaching career came to an end, he finished with an 879-254 record. At the time of his retirement, he was the winningest coach in college basketball history. Right now, that win total has him 4th in the history of college basketball, sitting behind Bob Knight, Mike Krzyzewski, and Jim Boeheim. Besides the win totals, there were some other impressive numbers that Smith put up as head coach at UNC. He was on the bench for 1,133 games, good for 4th most in history. He had the most Division I 20-win seasons, with 27 consecutive 20-win seasons from 1970–1997, and 30 20-win seasons total. He had 22 seasons with at least 25 wins. Going into the Tournament, he had 27 NCAA tournament appearances, including 23 consecutive. Smith was lucky enough to win two national championships (1982, 1993), while he was able to make 11 Final Fours (tied with Krzyzewski for second all-time to John Wooden's 12). During the regular season he also won 17 regular-season ACC titles, plus 33 straight years finishing in the conference's top three and 20 years in the top two.

Among Smith's most successful players in the NBA are Michael Jordan, Larry Brown, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Phil Ford, Bob McAdoo, Billy Cunningham, Kenny Smith, Walter Davis, Jerry Stackhouse, Antawn Jamison, Rick Fox, Vince Carter, Scott Williams and Rasheed Wallace. Smith coached 25 NBA first round draft picks.

Dean Smith knew how to get the best out of his players on the basketball court night in and night out. It wasn't just what he was able to do on the court that was so impressive (which it really was). It was also what he was able to do away from the hardwood that was really impressive.

One of the things that Dean Smith fought for the hardest was Civil Rights. Most famously, in 1966, he recruited Charlie Scott to Chapel Hill, making Scott the first black scholarship athlete in the University of North Carolina’s history and the first black basketball star in the Atlantic Coast Conference. But Smith wasn’t like other pioneering coaches, who broke college sports’ color barrier for purely pragmatic reasons. To Smith, racial justice was about much more than winning and losing. “It was simply the correct thing to do,” he wrote. Smith understood this far sooner than many other white Americans (Slate Magazine).

Sure other coaches had done it before him. Smith was really the first one who felt that it was bigger than what was going on in the world of athletic competition. It was just the right thing to do. He was a leader in advocacy for all things that were viewed as socially wrong in this country. He was helping make changes in the world through making the world a better place. It wasn't just what he did with integration, he also had a stake in opposed the Vietnam War, the death penalty and called for a freeze on nuclear weapons, among other causes (ESPN). Smith knew in his heart what was the right thing to do, from a societal perspective, and did his best to change what was wrong with the world.

Sure Dean Smith did great things on a basketball court, that will never be questioned. What people should also remember about Smith was his greatest victory of them all. The fact that he went up against society and made an impact on the world he lived in. Dean Smith, gone but never forgotten!

James Dolan Fires Back!

Every sports fan has a right to their own opinion. Teams, managers and management make all kinds of decisions to try and run a franchise in the hopes of winning a championship each and every year. Some moves that management make get praised by fans when the moves work. At times still, fans get critical of management when things aren't going so well for the team. Fans will go to great lengths to express their displeasure with their teams. More often than not, owners will take the high road. They will either ignore it, or send out a polite response to said issue. In the case of James Dolan, taking the high road isn't the great way to go about it.

It all started a couple of days ago, when James Dolan received an email. This email was written by 73-year old Knicks fan Irving Bierman. In the email, Bierman gets on Dolan for his handling of the Knicks. Why try to sugar coat it. Here's the email that was written to Dolan by Irving (Courtesy of Deadspin, who reported the story):

At one stage I thought that you did a wonderful thing when you acquired EVERYTHING from your dad. However, since then it has been ALL DOWN HILL. Your working with Isaiah Thomas everything else regarding the Knicks. Bringing on Phil Jackson was a positive beginning, but lowballing Steve Kerr was a DISGRACE to the knicks. The bottom line is that you merely continued to interfere with the franchise. 

As a knicks fan for in excess of 60 years, I am utterly embarrassed by your dealings with the Knicks. Sell them so their fans can at least look forward to growing them in a positive direction Obviously, money IS NOT THE ONLY THING. You have done a lot of utterly STUPID business things with the franchise. Please NO MORE.

Now you would think that after receiving an email like that, James Dolan would take the high road and either not respond or send a non angry letter. Well that didn't happen. Not only did Dolan respond, he did so by kind of sticking his foot in his mouth. Here's Dolan's response email (again courtesy of Deadspin):

You are a sad person. Why would anybody write such a hateful letter. I am.just guessing but ill bet your life is a mess and you are a hateful mess. What have you done that anyone would consider positive or nice. I am betting nothing. In fact ill bet you are negative force in everyone who comes in contact with you. You most likely have made your family miserable. Alcoholic maybe. I just celebrated my 21 year anniversary of sobriety. You should try it. Maybe it will help you become a person that folks would like to have around. In the mean while start rooting.for the Nets because the Knicks dont want you. 

Respectfully, 

James Dolan

When spokespeople at MSG where asked about the Email and whether it was real or not, they had confirmed that it was indeed a real email fired back by James Dolan.

There is so much wrong here with this. First off how can an owner of a basketball team be this stupid. I mean didn't we kinda go through something like this already? It's not nearly as bad as what Donald Sterling did last year, but it is still up there as one of the stupidest things that anybody can ever do.  To make matters even worse, Dolan said in the email that he felt the other guy may be an alcoholic. How Dolan can assume that just by reading a simple email is pretty mind boggling. The guy is 73 years old, he is dealing with advanced age working against him. Dolan should have realized that.

Also think about this. Take another look at the email Dolan wrote back as a response. See how many grammatical errors there are in the email? Yeah exactly, there's quite a few. Who the hell knows what was going threw Dolan's head before writing this email. I won't speculate at all but I'm a little worried here about Doaln's mental health. MSG even confirmed that Dolan sent the email. This really makes me start to smell a rat here. That is a bad PR move here by the Knicks organization from the top all the way down. The smart thing that should have been done here would be to take the high road, and write a respectful letter saying we will take your advice into consideration and hope you continue being a fan of the team. Doing what Dolan and the rest of the organization did was one of the most boneheaded things you can do as an owner of a franchise.

Is something going to happen from this? I really have no idea. I think the NBA and commissioner Adam Silver are going to take a look into this matter, which they should do. So far, I'll gladly admit that Silver has done a great job, to this point, of handling the negative PR that has hit the NBA since he took over from David Stern running the NBA. Commissioner Silver will handle this in due process and I have a hunch feeling that something will happen, even if its nothing more than really a slap on the wrist.

Now after this, reports are coming in that fans are trying hard to get Dolan to sell his share in the Knicks. It's the same group of fans who spent all this time calling for the Jets to fire GM John Idzik (which did happen at the end of the regular season). Jason Koeppel and his brother Jared, along with friends Greg Kohler and Dan Filowitz, have launched Knicks4Sale.com, a detailed website that calls for Dolan to sell the team. The campaign, which also features a Twitter and a Facebook account, hopes to raise $20,000 in donations to pay for a billboard on 30th Street and Seventh Avenue near Madison Square Garden (ESPN).

Many of the fans, including these four guys, may have a legit gripe. The price of going to games has skyrocketed for a team that hasn't been very exciting the last 15 years. They have won one playoff series in that time frame, while this year is becoming a tank job with 10 wins at the time of this writing. Dolan has been more hands on with his Knicks team, as he is more hands on with the Knicks than he is the Rangers, it gives fans more of a target for their poison when the team starts to suck. I highly doubt Dolan is going to be selling the team anytime soon. He's making money on the club so why should he sell it.

James Dolan was unhappy with an email somebody sent him, so he set off this small firestorm in response.

Charges Against Greg Hardy Dropped

It happened in May of last year. Greg Hardy, then defensive end for the Carolina Panthers, was involved with a dispute with his girlfriend, at the time, Nicole Holder. Hardy had apparently beat Holder pretty badly, leading to a domestic violence suit being filed against the NFL Star. The trial was on hold till today. Everybody was gearing up for the case in court, but it never went that far. At least not yet anyway. Right now the charges against Hardy have been dismissed. The reason being that his accuser did not making herself available to help with the case.

When court was set to go on Monday Hardy's accuser, ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder, did not show up for the hearing. In a statement explaining the decision to dismiss charges, the district attorney's office said it has "reliable information" that Holder and Hardy have reached a civil settlement and that she has "intentionally made herself unavailable to the State." Prosecutors have been unable to locate Holder to issue her a subpoena, which would have compelled her to testify in the trial. Holder's civil attorney also has refused to assist prosecutors in locating his client. "Without her testimony, in this particular instance, the State could not proceed," the district attorney's office said (ESPN). Hardy was originally found guilty of assaulting and threatening Holder back in July. Since then, Hardy has been put on the commissioner's exempt list before Week 3 until his case was resolved. As it sits right now, Hardy is still on that list.

Holder had said, back in November when the prosecution last spoke with her, that she wouldn't go through this again in a trial. So without Holder going back to court, the charges against Hardy have been dropped and the case dismissed.  Just because legal actions haven't been taken, from a court perspective anyway, doesn't mean that action still can't be taken the NFL. Hardy would have been subject to a minimum six-week suspension by the NFL under the league's new code of conduct policy if he had been found guilty (ESPN).

The league still has yet to make a ruling on the defensive end, so its still up in the air for what the future holds for his playing career. Lets say that nothing happens from the league, Hardy will become a free agent. From all reports, Carolina won't be pursuing him to come back, after what has gone down. Hardy will, in all lieklyhood hit the market, once free agency opens up on March 10th. Hardy hitting the free agent market will be one of the more interesting free agents in the offseason.

Hardy, when he was on the field, was quite productive. During his last two years of actual play, 2012 and 2013, Hardy totaled 26 sacks and 141 pressures in those two seasons. Those numbers make him one of the most productive pass-rushers in the NFL. You always see teams league wide that are in need of pass-rushers, and Hardy is one of the best. One thing that's going to stick out is this hanging over his head. There is still a chance that somebody could possibly take a flyer on him. We've already seen that NFL teams are willing to take a shot at players with ugly stories hanging over their heads. Look no further than the Buffalo Bills, who just last week signed former Dolphins offensive lineman Richie Incognito. Incognito, you might remember, was at the center of a bullying scandal two years ago. It goes to show that teams could take a flyer on a guy, if he can still produce on the field. Is there a chance that he gets signed by an NFL team? Yes. Will it take a while before somebody signs him? Who knows.

This Years Best SuperBowl Spots

It comes around once a year. The most watched television event of the year usually is the Super Bowl. If your teams happen to be good enough to play in the game, then you have an emotional investment in the game. If your teams aren't in the game, then most people are watching for the excitement of the game. There are others still who watch the game just for the commercials. Every year, companies will spend somewhere around $4.5 million for a 30 second spot in the big game. Some of the commercials are average commercials, some will pull at your heart strings, while others still will make you burst out laughing.

This year, there were a total of 61 commercials that got airtime during the big game. They ranged to everything from movies, to videogames, to cars to beer and everything else in between. With all that being said, we have come up with our best ones. We have a few that we really liked from the big game, but the ones that are listed below are the best of the best from this years game. One will pull at your hear strings, there's no doubt of that. Others will make you laugh out loud until your sides hurt. We have a couple of honorable mentions, then we going to hit you with our top five best spots from this years game.

Honorable Mention: BMW "Newfangeld Idea"


Like I said a lot of car companies come out with good commercials every year and this one happened to be it. Having the news anchors pull this one out of the hat gave for a pretty good chuckle.

Honorable Mention: Bud Light "Up For Whatever: PacMan"


Somehow, Bud Light always finds a way to hit with these up for whatever spots. Last year was Arnold Schwarzenegger. This year, its Pac Man, one of the most iconic video games ever produced. This one got a good laugh but just barley missed the cut.

5: Nationwide "Invisible Mindy"


This one gets our countdown going. Nationwide is trying to show that with their company, nobody is invisible. They made a pretty big statement with this commercial that you can't help but really laugh at.

4: Doritos "When Pigs Fly"


Over the last couple of years at the big game, Doritos has managed to be able to pull out some pretty creative, and very funny commercial spots. We've had a dog breaking down a door to get the chips, then a slingshot baby to grab chips. Last years was a time machine for the chips. This year we got flying pigs. Doritos comes up big again with another very funny commercial in this years game.

3: Budwiser "Best Buds"


Every single year, Budwiser always finds a way to create an outstanding commercial involving the Clydesdales. This year, they pulled at your heat strings with this fantastic spot. Not only do you have the Clydesdales, but you throw in an adorable puppy? It doesn't get any better than this.

2: Snickers "The Brady Bunch"


Here you have an iconic TV show like the Brady Bunch, then you throw in one of the most well known episodes "OW MY NOSE". Now throw in two major movie stars in Danny Trejo, who is best known for his role as Machete. To top it off we add in a guy like Steve Buscemi at the end of the spot. It makes for one funny commercial.

1:  Fiat "Blue Pill"


This was hands down the funniest commercial of the entire day. All you see is what is supposed to be a male enhancement pill go falling down rooftops and stuff in Italy. Through most of the spot, you're wondering where they are going to go with this. Then once it falls into the gas tank of the car, and the car begins to expand, it fully sinks in what happened. You really can't help but laugh at this spot.

So there you have it. The top five spots from this year's Super Bowl! Let us know what you think of our list!

A Tale Of Two Teams

Come out of the all-star break, things looked different for the two New York teams. When teams came out of the all star break, the Islanders were in a comfortable lead in first place, while the Rangers looked like they may be on a bit of slide. Now it seems like the teams have gone in two different directions. The Rangers are riding a three game winning streak, while the Islanders are on a three game slide.

First game out of the all star break, the two teams faced each other at the Coliseum. This night went the way of the Islanders, a 4-1 for the Orange and Blue. Mikhail Grabovski, Matt Martin, Ryan Strome and John Tavares provided the Islanders offense that night, while Carl Haglin scored the lone Rangers goal right near the end of the hockey game. Two nights later the Rangers were shut out 1-0 by the Montreal Canadiens, putting further difference between themselves and the first place Islanders. From that night on, the tides have turned for both teams.

The Rangers had gotten hot since the calender switched to 2015. Since the start of the new year, the Rangers have lost a total for four games, two to the Islanders, one to Boston and one to Montreal. The boys from Broadway, since that loss to Montreal, have gone on to win three straight. They have gone on to beat Carolina 4-1, Florida 6-3 and just last night the Bruins 4-2. The Boston game was a real statement game for the Red White and Blue. Even though the Rangers played without Henrik Lundqvist, who is day to day with a throat injury, they still have a solid goaltender in Cam Talbot as his backup.

In the last three games that the Rangers have won, they have gotten balanced attacks in the scoring department. Rick Nash now has 32 goals, which leads the league, and he has scored 4 goals in the last 3 games. Then your also getting contributions from others as well. Your seeing guys like Carl Hagelin, Jesper Fast, Chris Kreider, Kevin Hayes, Dan Boyle, Ryan McDonagh and Mats Zucarello have all gotten their names on scoresheets. That's what's called a balanced scoring attack. Most good teams can get scoring from anybody at any time, they can roll four lines and throw other teams into a tizzy on offense. Those have been staples of the Rangers over the last month, which is part of the reason they have looked so good lately.

That's only part of it. Their defense and goaltending has been just as outstanding as the offense as of late. Again even though they will be without Lundqvist, who is day to day with the neck injury, they still have Cam Talbot, who has been doing a sensational job between the pipes as of late. That's the other key to being a success in this league, you need to have solid defense and goaltending. Right now the Rangers have that going for them and then some.

Things aren't looking quire as bright for the Islanders as they are their Broadway counterparts. Ever since that win over the Rangers out of the break, the Blue and Orange have hit a three game losing streak.  In that losing streak, the Islanders have been outscored 13-5. There are two big reasons the Islanders seem to be going in the wrong direction the last couple of games One has been the defense and goaltending. In their last five games, the win over the Rangers was the only one in which the Islanders have allowed less than four goals. Sure they beat the Flyers 7-4 on January 19th, but they game up 4 goals to both Florida and Detroit and then gave up 5 goals to the Bruins. That's a bit of a problem. The Islanders defense has been healthy, but one of the big problems, which has been a problem for the team most of the year, has been killing penalties. The Islanders can't stay out of the box, and when the do spend time in the sin bin, the rest of the skaters can't kill a penalty to save their lives the last 5+ games.

Chad Johnson hasn't been nearly as stellar as the backup goalie as he was in Boston just a year ago. Jaroslav Halak has looked like a normal netminder the past few starts. He was beaten by a soft backhand goal against the Panthers just two nights ago. To make matters worse, the Islanders have had real trouble finding the back of the net. They have scored 2,1 and 2 goals in their last three games. This coming from a team that used to average 3+ goals a night when they in the grove. Part of the problem is the fact that Kyle Okposo is out with his injury. Thanks to an eye injury, Okposo is going to be out 6-8 weeks, which comes as a huge blow to that Islanders offense. He was the team leader in assists and second on the team in points behind only John Tavares in points. Okposo was really coming into his own, now has to miss time with a brutal eye injury. With him out, you would think that other guys would step their game up. Well outside maybe Tavares, the rest of the offense seems to have gone a little cold. After his hot start to the year, Brock Nelson has really cooled down, same thing too for Ryan Strome.

Right now the Islanders have fallen out of first place, sitting just one point behind the Penguins for First. Sitting on the Islanders heels are the Rangers, sitting just a point back. What this means is the Islanders have hit a slide and the Rangers are starting to really catch fire. If the two met in a playoff series, I'd have more confidence in the rangers than the Isles, based on the recent events. Still there is plenty of time, from an Islanders perspective at least, to try and straighten this thing out and get back on track.

Patriots Rule Football World! New England Wins Super Bowl

This is starting to become an all too familiar sight in the New England area. For the 4th time since 2000, the New England Patriots are the champions of the football world. It's been a decade since the Patriots last won themselves a Super Bowl. Well now the drought is over, thanks to their 28-24 victory over the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl 49! Sure tom Brady won his 3rd MVP trophy in the big game, but the real hero for the Patriots in this one was rookie safety Malcolm Butler. See it was Butlers's interception of Russel Wilson at the goal line that saved the Patriots title.

Both teams battled to a scoreless tie through the opening quarter, the first time there has been a scoreless first quarter since the Patriots met the Eagles in 2004. This also marks the 6th straight Super Bowl in which the Pats have failed to score any points in the opening quarter. The game remained scoreless until New England's first drive of the second quarter, which began with Brady's 17-yard completed pass to Danny Amendola. Brady later completed a 23-yard pass to Julian Edelman on 3rd and 9, and eventually finished the drive with a 11-yard touchdown pass to receiver Brandon LaFell.

Seattle then comes back on a nice drive, capped off with a 7-yard score from Marshawn Lynch. New England came right back to retake the lead on a Rob Gronkowski 22 yard touchdown catch with a little time left in the half. Seattle closed out the half on a quick drive, resulting in a tie game, thanks to Chris Matthews 11 touchdown reception. The last touchdown came with just 2 seconds showing on the clock.

Seattle came out firing in the 3rd quarter. They had New England on their heels, once they stormed out to a 24-14 lead in the third quarter. This coming on the strength of Steven Hauschka's 27-yard field goal and Doug Baldwin's 3-yard TD reception. Everything looked like it was going to go Seattle's way heading into the 4th quarter. Then all of a sudden, it seemed like somebody flipped a switch for the Patriots. They woke up once the 4th quarter started, took the game over and the rest is history. With 12:10 left in the game, New England mounted a 68-yard drive to cut their deficit to 24–21 on Brady's 4-yard touchdown toss to Amendola.

Following a three-and-out for Seattle, New England got the ball back on their own 32 at the 6:52 mark. Brady started off the possession with two completions to running back Shane Vereen for 13 total yards, and followed it up with a 9-yard pass to Edelman. Following a penalty against New England, Gronkowski caught a pair of passes that moved the team up 33 yards to the Seattle 19. Then Vereen rushed for 7 yards, Brady passed to Lafell for 7 more, and Blount ran the ball 2 yards to the 3-yard line. Finally with 2:02 left in the game, Brady gave his team a 28–24 lead with a 3-yard touchdown toss to Edelman.

Now New England has the lead and all the momentum, forcing Seattle to try to make history and play comeback. With time winding down, Russel Wilson threw the ball down the right sideline, looking for Jermain Kearse. Kearse then pulled in one of the greatest catches of all time:


It was one of the greatest grabs ever. It set up the Seahawks in perfect field position with a little over a minute left in regulation. The catch by Kearse drew many comparisons to this outstanding grab made on Monday Night Football by Antonio Freeman:


The catches are so similar its kinda scary. Anyway. Seattle is now down to the five yard line with about 45 seconds left. They had the ball off to Lynch, who picks up four yards to get it down to the 1. So its 2nd and goal. Seattle then ran the clock down to 26 seconds before taking the snap for what turned out to be the most critical play of the game. The Seahawks had called a pass play in which Kearse ran a pick on the right side of the field to draw defensive backs away from Lockette as Lockette ran a slant to the middle. Lockette appeared to be uncovered at the one-yard line when Wilson threw him the ball, but before the ball arrived, Butler correctly read the play and rushed into position to make a clutch interception. The turnover gave New England the ball on their own one-yard line with 20 seconds remaining in regulation. Butler's performance on the single play alone garnered him consideration by the voters for Super Bowl MVP.

New England hangs on, despite some final fisracuffs near the end of the game to claim their 4th title.

There are two major things that really stick out from this football game. The most obvious one is how could Seattle call for the pass play on 2nd and goal from the 1 when Lynch just gained you four yards on the previous play. Run it again and he scores, giving you the lead very late in the game. The other thing was Seattle's defense. They had put a bit of pressure on New England in the start of the game, but then as the 2nd half wore on, they weren't able to get the same amount of pressure. The fact that four of their better players, like Jeremy Lane, going out with an injury. Richard Sherman, it was revealed after the game, has to have Tommy John Surgery to repair his injured elbow. Kam Chancellor was also playing through a knee injury as well. Had Seattle had a fully healthy secondary and defense, I got this gut feeling that they would have help on and taken the game.

Seattle wasn't able to, New England captures their 4th ever Superbowl title!