Sports Agenda For Thursday (2/17/11)
Big Story:
Quite a few things are on the agenda for today….the Heat sputter to the All-Star break, Krop basketball fought the law and the law won, FIU sold its soul, Bryan Cox may join the Fins staff, the NFL is in a deep freeze, and the Panthers, well they still stink.
Heat: (off until next week)
The Miami Heat have hit the All-Star break and the team is 41-15 and tied for first in the Eastern Conference. Not bad for a team that was barely above water last season huh. Kinda looks like Erik Spoelstra should be considered for coach of the year considering he has guided the team to this record after people were ready to fire him earlier this season.
Course it doesn't hurt when you are coaching LeBron and D-Wade. Although, I'm starting to see the Heat become less and less interested in games right now, luckily, they're in the playoffs so they can coast a little bit right now for the next two weeks or so.
But nonetheless, the Heat are heading towards a showdown with the Celtics in the conference finals, assuming both teams stay injury free. I'm still not sold on the Heat being able to beat the Celtics in a 7-game series. The simple reason is that there isn't a Rajon Rondo or Glen Davis on the bench for the Heat.
FYI: LeBron and D-Wade are number 3 and 4 respectively in scoring at 26.1 and 25.4 points per game. C-Bosh is number 28 at 18.5 points per game. Both Wade and LeBron are hitting nearly 50% of their shots from the field, but neither is shooting above 34% from the three-point line.
One other NBA note: it was another ho-hum Cavaliers los…wait, they won?!?! Against the Lakers?!?! The Cleveland Cavaliers?!?! REPENT FOR THE END IS NIGH!!!!
Krop Basketball:
Well, the Krop basketball team was booted from the high school playoffs Wednesday after the court proceedings were finally exhausted. It's sad for the players who were legitimate on the Krop team, but the coach and administration at the school are to blame and should be held accountable by the FHSAA.
Still, as I said in the newsroom from the beginning…the story isn't so much about Krop as it is the team that would have been in the last tournament had Krop been forced out then. That team, who escapes me right now, is the biggest loser in the bunch because they never had a chance to play, despite doing everything right. That's the story, but it was glossed over during the coverage of Krop.
FIU & Wittels:
Well, FIU cleared Garrett Wittels to play this weekend. I'm shocked, shocked I tell you!
FIU may as well have said, "hey listen, if you're a good enough athlete, you can come play for us even if you're charged with a felony, we need the publicity, no bad deed is too much."
As I have said, he's innocent until proven guilty, but the school should have sat him down until there was a resolution in the case. Other schools like FSU have that policy, but FSU doesn't need the publicity.
ESPN will cover Wittels, which has to make FIU's athletic director bask in the glow of the spotlight.
Too bad he sold FIU's soul to get that spotlight.
Of course given the fact that he hired Isiah Thomas, nothing really surprises me. How's that working out by the way? They are 9-16 on the season in the Sun Belt Conference…..MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!
Bryan Cox:
It looks like the Dolphins may hire Bryan Cox onto the staff.
Considering Cox's mouth was much better than his game, this may not be all bad for the Dolphins. Especially considering how the Dolphins always love to talk about being a great team, but haven't been one since the mid-1980's.
NFL Labor Update:
There's still no news on the labor front.
It's going to be a lockout starting March 4. The owners are too selfish not to work out a deal until then. It will also show how ineffective Goodell and Demaurice Smith are as leaders of their respective sides. Congratulations guys, the first labor stoppage in the NFL since 1987. That's all the NFL needs as the most popular sport in America.
It's a massive recession, and a bunch of billionaires and millionaires are fighting over money. I say good riddance until they can get over themselves.
Panthers: (next game Friday vs. Detroit Red Wings)
The Panthers, well, they're the Panthers. They're kind of like the little engine that can't. They gave up 3 goals before the offense started to play, and even then, the offense could only muster 2 goals.
On the bright side, no one got injured.
On the down side, they also dropped into 12th place in the Eastern Conference.
