Random thoughts

Here are some more random thoughts. Since there has not been an update in two weeks, I decided it was time to share some of those thoughts.

NFL playoffs

BORING! Wow have the games been boring. The best game happened to be Packers vs. Cardinals where absolutely no defense was played. Other than the Jets vs. Chargers (talked about in next point), all the games have been blowouts. With the Bears not in the playoffs, all one can hope for are good games and I have been severely disappointed. The Super Bowl with the exception of the last few years has rarely lived up to expectations. Hopefully as it was last year, there will be great moments to be talked about for years.

Jets vs. Chargers/Cowboys vs. Vikings

     Jets vs. Chargers actually ended being a good game. Out of all the games this past weekend, this was the last one that was expected to be that close. I tried to be impartial in this game but wound up rooting for Mark Sanchez. Despite Sanchez going to USC, he seems like a quality guys. Phillip Rivers could be a quality guy as well but he sure does a lot of talking for no reason (sorry about the rant there, it had to be said). Norv Turner despite having a great regular season record will not get much respect until he starts winning bigger games and making better calls. The on-side kick with a little over two minutes is an extremely questionable call. Rarely do people agree with Skip Bayless, but he is right in saying that if the on side kick does not happen, Rex Ryan does go for it on the Chargers 29 yard line. If you feel a little bad for the Chargers, watch this amazing video of LT, laugh, and learn the dance.
    
     Not much to be said on Cowboys vs. Vikings except the Cowboys looked like the team most thought would appear in December. The Cowboys did not do much of anything correct and Tony Romo looked very average. Many of the Cowboys complained about the Vikings running up the score, but it just looked liked Brett Favre having fun. I'm sure Cowboy fans were upset as I probably would have been but the Cowboys did not stop the Vikings all day.  Was it actually running up the score or the Cowboys just looking terrible? The latter seems to be the choice.

Intentional fouls
    
     There were a couple of college basketball games that I watched over the weekend and did not agree with the intentional fouls called. Here is the rule for an intentional foul,
     
        "A flagrant personal foul (or intentional foul) involves excessive or severe contact during a live ball."

     While watching the Duke vs. Wake Forest game yesterday, Miles Plumlee of Duke went up for a dunk on a fast break and Wake Forest player went to block the shot. Plumlee fell hard on his tail bone and the refs called an intentional foul. It did seem as if the Wake Forest player wanted to hurt Plumlee; He just wanted to block (And he almost did. He got him on the wrist)  and the shot and prevent an easy basket. The foul changed the game and Duke went from having a six point lead to a ten point lead.  Referees have to realize that basketball players nowadays are just freak athletes and can do things that many players in the past could not. Referees have to be able to tell when another player is trying to hurt another player.  Hopefully with instant replay in basketball, they can use replay to determine if that is the case. The game moves so fast now that technology should be allowed to help the referees make the right call.

Blackhawks vs. Redwings game on January 17th,2010

     Wow. What a great this turned out to be.  It just kept getting better as the game went along: regulation, OT, and then the shootout. Two of the Red Wings goals by Bertuzzi and Datsyuk were amazing. Even if the Red Wings are disliked in Chicago, they were both wow moments. However Antti Niemi and Patrick Sharp stepped up to help the Hawks finish off the Red Wings. Right now the Red Wings are the eight seed and slated to meet the Blackhawks if the playoffs were to start now. The Red Wings are starting to get healthy so it does not seem as if they will stay the eigth seed. The Hawks probably do not want to the Wings as a first round match-up. It may no tbe an issue now, but Niemi is playing very well so Cristobal Huet needs to step his game up.

-Mike Moreau