New Years Resolutions

For this post i'm going to do something a little different. I am going to list 10 prominent sports figures and what their new years resolution SHOULD be.

•  Number 1- Peyton Manning- I will become the first athlete to succeed in the NFL with a bionic neck
• Number 2 - Kris Humphries- I will not be an idiot and date a Kardashian this year.
• Number 3 - Ryan Braun - I will not emulate Barry Bonds this year.
• Number 4 - Brett Bielima - i will not f*** up the big games for the Badgers this year.
• Number 5 -  Jordan Williamson - I will not lose the Fiesta Bowl
• Number 6 -  LeBron James - I will finally clutch up in the finals this year!
• Number 7 - Dirk Nowitzki - Ich werde das Finale wieder gewinnen    
• Number 8 - Brett Favre - I won't fall off my tractor in 2012
• Number 9 - Aaron Rodgers - I'm not gonna change a damn thing
• Number 10 - Evansville Basketball Team - We will win a game in 2012                                                                                                  

NBA Blocks Chris Paul Trad

The NBA has blocked two consecutive Chris Paul trades; one a three teamer involving the Rockets, Hornets, and the LA Lakers and the other with LA Clippers and New Orleans Hornets. The rationale behind this decision is beyond me. In the Lakers trade the Hornets actually ended up really well, considering that CP3 was going to walk at the beggining of the season anyways. The Hornets would have ended up with Louis Scola and Kevin Martin, to go along with a 2012 first round pick. Granted Scola nor Martin are not lockdown defenders, but in the effortless NBA, they fit right in with their all offense no defense approach to the game. Meanwhile the Lakers would have received the NBA's best point guard (remember this blog is subjective) to pair along with Kobe Bryan. The rockets would have received Pau Gasol and Lamar Odom. NBA commissioner, David Stern said the trade was "too big" and they were not getting much value for CP3. The real reasons behind the trade block is most likely all the small market NBA owners that are lobbying to Stern to not let another small market superstar to leave their time (i.e. Carmelo and LeBron) However people seem to be forgetting that star players have been leaving their teams for greener pastures for decades. Remember Lew Alcindor leaving for LA from Milwaukee? Remember Charles Barkley leaving the 76rs for the Phoenix Suns? People tend to remember whatever is convenient for them and bring today's players completely out of context.

NFL safety

Many NFL players have criticized the new fines being dished out to defensive players. The new rules essentially say that it is illegal to hit a "defenseless" offensive players and there is no more launching-knockout-sports-center-top-10- hits. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has fined several players over the past few years over helmet to helmet hits and has even resorted to suspending players, such as Dunta Robinson of the Atlanta Falcons. Defensive players are the ones complaining more often than not because more often than not, they are the ones being fined for the violent hits. The reasons the fines have been implemented is because there has been research done that shows that football does serious damage to the brain, and outlawing these hits could reduce these affects. This controversy brings up an interesting point: is it such a bad thing that we want to protect football players? I would like to believe that we are better than the Romans, that we would not stand for individuals being murdered and paying to see it...but the outcry against theses fines makes me wonder.

Rookies in the NFL

This years NFL rookies are making a larger impact than in most years. On the offensive side of the ball there is unheard of production from rookie quarterbacks and there are more rookie quarterbacks that have starts this year compared to any other season in history. Cam Newton is perhaps the most talked-about quarterback but he has only led is team to a 2-8 record despite is 86 quarterback rating and 9 touchdowns on the ground. Andy Dalton, the less heralded of the two has completed 60% of his passes and led the team to a 7-4 record. Other rookie quarterbacks making noise around the league include Jake Locker, Christian Ponder, and Blaine Gabbert.