Certainly one of the more eventful weekend in recent memory, in both sports and entertainment. Here we go:
The MTV Video Music Awards were held this week, once again to measure how far into the tank our society has fallen. I have to say, we may be approaching critical mass. Its not good when our country is more enthralled with Kanye West dissing Taylor Swift than anything that actually, ya know, matters. So Kanye pulls a publicity stunt because his ego is through the roof and America loses their minds. Maybe we just never had them to begin with for watching this crap. Not to mention the state of the music that actually wins these things. Also, does anyone else find it ironic that MTV holds an awards show for music videos, yet no longer actually plays them?
Tyler Perry had himself another box office hit over the weekend with I Can Do Bad All By Myself. The man can do no wrong when it comes to success at the box office, with his most recent film pulling in $23,446,785. I may not be a fan of his films but they certainly have an audience and you can never bet against him. Coming in second place was the animated film 9, with 10,740,446. The film opened on Wednesday and has a total of 15,160,926 since then. Holdovers Inglourious Basterds, All About Steve, and The Final Destination round out the top 5, while openers Sorority Row and Whiteout, two horrible looking thrillers bombed on opening weekend, failing to crack the top 5 with $5,059,802 and $4,915,104 respectively.
In sports, the greatest basketball player who ever lived, Michael Jordan was inducted into the Hall of Fame not ten minutes from my house at Springfield symphony Hall. Also inducted were John Stockton of the Utah Jazz, David Robinson of the San Antonio Spure, Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer and Utah Jazz head coach Jerry Sloan. The night definitely belonged to Jordan however, and he let the audience know it. Several journalists have called him out for being a bully, a brat, a pompous ass, you name it. But this was true Jordan. This is what made him the most devastating force basketball has ever seen. He wore his heart on his sleeve. I was mesmerized at every word. He was brutally honest as he spoke, describing several of the people and situation that motivated him. He could have gone up their and given everyone a typical thank you speech, just like everyone else. Some people would have preferred that, called it more classy. I wanted to see the Jordan that we have known and have been in awe of for years, and that is what we got. Congrats Michael, I'm so glad you stayed true to that competitive fire that made you so incredible.
Yesterday we lost Patrick Swayze, star of Dirty Dancing, Ghost, Point Break, Donnie Darko , Roadhouse and several other films. He was a true talent, and from all accounts, a great man. He had been battling cancer for several months and finally lost the fight. Rest in peace Patrick.
And now some thoughts on the opening weekend in the National Football League:
Tennessee and Pittsburgh will once again be defensive dynamos, but Pittsburgh is still a little better.
Tony Gonzalez was a great addition for Atlanta, and they are on their way to proving last season was not a fluke. Miami can not say the same.
Denver is just as bad as I thought they would be, however, Cincinatti is much worse. Kyle Orton is just as bad as he was in Chicago, Brandon Marshall figures to continue his demands to get out of there.
Cleveland is definitely in the running for the worst team in football. Minnesota isn't that great either, but Adrian Peterson is an absolute beast, and no question the best back in football. He proved it in week 1, if their were any doubters.
Jacksonville did what I expected against Indianapolis, but couldn't quite pull off the win, covered the spread though. They played them tough, and will definitely be a solid team. However, I feel the division is too strong for either team. Losing Anthony Gonzalez is a blow for the Colts.
New Orleans and Detroit put up a ton of points, as expected. Drew Brees' 6 touchdown day was a fantasy gold mine. Detroit's defense is still terrible, and New Orleans isn't that much better. Both teams will need to try and put up 35 points a week if they want to beat their opponents. New Orleans will be more successful at this.
Dallas beat Tampa Bay and those that said Tony Romo would be better off without TO look really good right now. Take it with a grain of salt however, as Tampa Bay is terrible. that defense is not what it used to be.
Philadelphia made me look real good in my lock of the week. They are a very dangerous team... if McNabb can come back healthy from his cracked ribs. That is a very big if.
Baltimore may not be as good as I once thought. The offense looked good, the defense did not against Kansas City. This is very perplexing, as they are a defensive team first and foremost. The loss of Rex Ryan seems to be a problem, after one week anyway.
And the team he went to, the New York Jets, seem to be a lot better than I gave them credit for. That defense looked outstanding, especially considering the potent Houston offense they were facing. I still like Houston, i just like the Jets defense a lot more. Mark Sanchez also looked impressive, we'll see if it continues.
The Giants didn't impress me against Washington. they were at home, and they let an inferior Washington team hang with them. For a team that many say will go deep into the playoffs, I can't see them finishing better than third in their division, with Washington probably finishing in 4th behind them, but of course, its early.
San Fransisco shocked me. I really didn't like them going into week one and they managed to knock off the Super Bowl runner up Arizona Cardinals. The curse of the Super Bowl loser is in full effect. Both of these teams are going to have rough seasons, but San Fran won't be as bad as I thought.
Seattle looked good... but it was st. Louis. They are bad, really really bad. I can't take much else out of this game.
Green Bay and Chicago was a great game. Both defenses looked very strong, even after the Bears lost Brian Urlacher. Cutler did not look good, looked like he was going to cry the entire game, and doesn't have an ounce of leadership in his body. Aaron Rodgers however, stepped up huge after the refs tried to give away the game on a phantom illegal contact call. Huge touchdown to Greg Jennings to put the dagger in the Bears. His MVP campaign already has one notch in his belt.
The two Monday night games... well, didn't go as expected. I'll start with the Pats/Bills:
I am still trying to figure out why the Patriots insist on running the ball at all. They have five running backs and only one of them is effective: Kevin Faulk. He is effective because he is used to catch the ball. This is not a ball control offense. They don't have a defense, at all. It is absolutely terrible and the losses of Bruschi, Seymore and Vrabel clearly hurt this team. If they want to beat people, they need to cut them apart through the air. They absolutely proved that they can do this in the final two drives of no huddle hurry up offense. The Bills had no answer. That is the strength of this team. You have Brady, Moss and Welker. Opposing teams can not stop you through the air. I know you have to run occasionally, but it should be at least a 75/25 split. Don't try and beat teams by pounding them, just do what you do best, and score 40 points a game and hope the defense can keep the other team from scoring 50. I think they can do that. Running the ball with this team is like intentionally putting themselves at a disadvantage. Also, they really better hope Mayo's injury is not serious.
As for the Chargers, well I don't know how they let the Raiders hang with them so long. Maybe it was the environment, maybe it was they underestimated them, who knows? Maybe the Chargers just aren't that good. They are, however, better than the Raiders. Jemarcus Russel is not good enough to be a professional quarterback. He is just another Al Davis mistake that will torpedo this team. In the end, as with the Patriots, the Chargers just out-skilled the opposition. The Raiders should have a solid defense, but I can't see them scoring too many points. Zach Miller looked very good though, and could be a top 5 fantasy tight end this season.
That's all I've got for today. Tomorrow I'll be back with my top 5 films of the Summer. Hope you enjoyed the recap! Follow me, comment me, send me emails at geezer9687@yahoo.com if there's anything you want to get my thoughts on or talk about. Until tomorrow, peace, and don't worry too much about Taylor Swift, I'm sure she'll be happy rolling in her millions. she's done pretty well for herself.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment