But that happens in late March, April and May. And in the meantime, sports seems quiet, as there are preparations for larger evens in the summertime. Hockey and basketball will have their playoffs, both ending within weeks of one another in June (at least here in North America). Baseball season is starting, although it is preseason, and I am, admittedly, not a very big fan of baseball in general. Always struggled to get into it, and gave up when still a kid. MLS soccer will start again soon, and tennis is still active, although the next Grand Slam tournament is still far away.
Yet, there are some interesting things going on in sports at the moment. Here are some:
Chicago Blackhawks
For one, the Chicago Blackhawks have started this shortened season in historical fashion, and could perhaps be emerging as the dominant force in the league, if this keeps up. They have played 21 games so far this season (and in a strike shortened season, that means that they are three games shy of the midway point of the season). Out of a possible 42 points that they could have gotten, they have 39. 21 games. Eighteen wins, and three ties. No losses. It is not "perfect", because they are not all wins. There are the three ties. But this team has not yet lost, and that after 21 full games have been played. Now, that's impressive.
I have been told that the Blackhawks play in a weak division, that their record is deceptive, that they really aren't that good. Maybe. Maybe not.
But I'll tell you what. This is an unbelievable start. I mean, on a historical level. The last time the Blackhawks lost a regular season game in regulation was March 25th of last year, against Nashville. That's a hell of a long time for a team to remain unbeaten (in regulation, and in the regular season). Now, I'd say that's more than a little impressive.
True, it's a bit early to pencil them in for the Stanley Cup Finals and a chance to be considered at least one of the greatest teams in history. But what they have accomplished is far above what any team that I have seen to this point in a hockey season has ever accomplished, and I think that's saying something.
We shall see what happens in the playoffs, but keep in mind that Chicago hoisted the Stanley Cup in 2012. Hardly ancient history.
Here are some links to articles related to the Blackhawks hot start this season:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/blackhawks-earn-point-21st-straight-043118997--nhl.html
http://sports.espn.go.com/chicago/nhl/recap?gameId=400442774
Parker Out With Injury
Like the Chicago Blackhawks in hockey, the San Antonia Spurs have looked dominant this season in basketball so far, as they enjoy the best record in the league at 46-14. That said, people have not been noticing them so much attention, for a few reasons. First, they are not quite as dominant as Chicago has been so far. Secondly, they always rank among the elites in terms of regular seasons records, but since 2007, they burn out in the playoffs. They had the best record last season as well, and looked like they could potentially be destined to another championship, when they took a 2-0 series lad against the red-hot Oklahoma City Thunder. But OKC came back to win four straight to close out the Spurs, and so many simply do not have faith that San Antonio's superior record at the moment will amount to that much. Thirdly, they have the reputation for being a boring team, even if successful. This has affected their popularity, since despite their enormous success over the years, they simply do not get anywhere near the coverage and hype of other teams, particularly the Lakers, who get national coverage and a fresh batch of bandwagon fans every time they lift a finger. Finally, now San Antonio's fortunes have taken a turn for the worst, as star guard Tony Parker injured his left ankle, and is expected to be out for four weeks.
In the meantime, the defending champions, the Miami Heat, have won 13 games in a row and own a commanding lead for the top spot in the East. But that has been overshadowed by an embarrassing video that recently came out, where the Miami Heat organization did their interpretation of the tiresome "Harlem Shake". Is anybody else as tired of these silly, Youtube, flash in the pan crazes as I am?
PSG & David Beckham
Paris St. Germain continues to try and position themselves not only for dominance in the French Ligue 1, but also are trying to be recognized as a true elite in Europe and the world in general. They are my personal favorite team for European soccer, but admittedly, I almost feel like a bandwagon fan at this point myself, with all of the maneuvers that this team is making, generating all sorts of hype and publicity. Hopefully, results will follow for them. As of right now, they have assumed control of first place in Ligue 1, and appear on the brink of the elusive championship, which they were just edged out of last year. Now, with all of the big names, the pitfall comes with expectations. They probably will win the regular season, but even if they do, it is now expected that they should win it. Everybody will be on their case if they don't win it. That's a big difference.
But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, PSG suffered a drawback, as it lost a shocker to Stade de Reims, 1-0. Following this loss, Leonardo claimed that the franchise was better suited to Champions League soccer (see the link below).
Here are the current standings, according to Yahoo! Sports (http://sports.yahoo.com/soccer/ligue-1/):
| 1 | Paris Saint-Germain | 27 | 16 | 6 | 5 | 54 | 49 | 17 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Lyon | 26 | 15 | 6 | 5 | 51 | 46 | 25 |
| 3 | St. Etienne | 27 | 13 | 8 | 6 | 47 | 44 | 19 |
| 4 | Marseille | 26 | 14 | 4 | 8 | 46 | 32 | 31 |
| 5 | Nice | 27 | 12 | 9 | 6 | 45 | 39 | 32 |
| 6 | Montpellier | 27 | 13 | 5 | 9 | 44 | 43 | 32 |
| 7 | Rennes | 27 | 12 | 5 | 10 | 41 | 39 | 36 |
| 8 | Lille | 26 | 10 | 10 | 6 | 40 | 35 | 26 |
| 9 | Lorient | 27 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 40 | 43 | 43 |
| 10 | Bordeaux | 26 | 9 | 11 | 6 | 38 | 26 | 22 |
| 11 | Valenciennes | 27 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 35 | 35 | 37 |
| 12 | Toulouse | 27 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 34 | 32 | 32 |
| 13 | Bastia | 27 | 8 | 6 | 13 | 30 | 30 | 51 |
| 14 | AC Ajaccio | 27 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 29 | 29 | 37 |
| 15 | Brest | 26 | 8 | 4 | 14 | 28 | 27 | 36 |
| 16 | Reims | 27 | 6 | 9 | 12 | 27 | 23 | 31 |
| 17 | Sochaux | 27 | 7 | 6 | 14 | 27 | 28 | 40 |
| 18 | Evian | 27 | 5 | 9 | 13 | 24 | 25 | 39 |
| 19 | AS Nancy-Lorraine | 27 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 21 | 24 | 45 |
| 20 | Troyes | 26 | 3 | 11 | 12 | 20 | 28 | 46 |
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/leonardo-paris-saint-germain-better-000000140--sow.html
Novak Djokovic Rolls On
Djokovic is showing the world why he is still the number one ranked player, as he displayed his consistency with another win at the Dubai Open. Federer, still ranked number two for now, lost to Tomas Berdych in the semifinal. But Djoko took dispatched him in two quick sets, 7-5, 6-3, after having gotten past Del Potro in a tough semifinal.
In the meantime, Nadal easily won the Mexican Open final against Ferrer, 6-0, 6-2. The Mexican tournament is played on a clay court surface, which is Nadal's specialty.
Here are some related articles to what's going on in tennis:
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nadal-tops-ferrer-mexican-open-065315656--ten.html
http://espn.go.com/tennis/story/_/id/9007484/novak-djokovic-beats-tomas-berdych-win-fourth-dubai-title
In the NFL
Joe Flacco is being rewarded big-time for his record playoff performance, which culminated in a Super Bowl championship, and his being rewarded the MVP for the big game. We all knew that he would get a big payday, but perhaps no one could have predicted this: a six year deal worth $120 million, which makes him the highest paid player in NFL history, at least for the moment. You knew the Ravens were going to have to pay him big time, but wow! That's more than Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Michael Vick, Tom Brady, or other elite quarterbacks, or even other elite players at other positions. Flacco now makes more than all of them, including some, like Brady and Eli Manning, who have more rings. Incredible!
Speaking of Tom Brady, he took a pay cut, so that the Patriots could have more room to maneuver, as they are among the top ten teams in the league in terms of salary cap room. They have been good for some time, and they will apparently try to do some tweaking in order to field yet another elite team, in hopes of yet another Super Bowl appearance during the Belichick-Brady era.
The Arizona Cardinals also cleared salary cap space, releasing cornerback William Gay and linebacker Stewart Bradley. In the meantime, the Atlanta Falcons also released some players with big names - defensive end John Abraham, running back Michael Turner, and cornerback Dunta Turner.
Randy Moss said his goodbye to the San Francisco 49ers, the team that gave him his second ever shot at a Super Bowl last season. Moss will try and qualify on another team next season, in hopes of playing for what would be his 15th season. Last year, he famously declared himself the best wide receiver in the history of the game.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl---ravens-qb-joe-flacco-has-broncos-secondary--a-little-luck-to-thank-for-phenomenal-payday-224421303.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/randy-moss-doesnt-expect-return-031013141--nfl.html
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4740414/patriots-among-top-10-teams-in-cap-space
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/falcons-release-3-key-players-151051062--nfl.html
In the NFL
Joe Flacco is being rewarded big-time for his record playoff performance, which culminated in a Super Bowl championship, and his being rewarded the MVP for the big game. We all knew that he would get a big payday, but perhaps no one could have predicted this: a six year deal worth $120 million, which makes him the highest paid player in NFL history, at least for the moment. You knew the Ravens were going to have to pay him big time, but wow! That's more than Peyton Manning, Eli Manning, Michael Vick, Tom Brady, or other elite quarterbacks, or even other elite players at other positions. Flacco now makes more than all of them, including some, like Brady and Eli Manning, who have more rings. Incredible!
Speaking of Tom Brady, he took a pay cut, so that the Patriots could have more room to maneuver, as they are among the top ten teams in the league in terms of salary cap room. They have been good for some time, and they will apparently try to do some tweaking in order to field yet another elite team, in hopes of yet another Super Bowl appearance during the Belichick-Brady era.
The Arizona Cardinals also cleared salary cap space, releasing cornerback William Gay and linebacker Stewart Bradley. In the meantime, the Atlanta Falcons also released some players with big names - defensive end John Abraham, running back Michael Turner, and cornerback Dunta Turner.
Randy Moss said his goodbye to the San Francisco 49ers, the team that gave him his second ever shot at a Super Bowl last season. Moss will try and qualify on another team next season, in hopes of playing for what would be his 15th season. Last year, he famously declared himself the best wide receiver in the history of the game.
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/nfl---ravens-qb-joe-flacco-has-broncos-secondary--a-little-luck-to-thank-for-phenomenal-payday-224421303.html
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/randy-moss-doesnt-expect-return-031013141--nfl.html
http://espn.go.com/blog/boston/new-england-patriots/post/_/id/4740414/patriots-among-top-10-teams-in-cap-space
http://sports.yahoo.com/news/falcons-release-3-key-players-151051062--nfl.html
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