CSN Philadelphia writer Gordie Jones wrote a very compelling piece on Sixer’s rookie center Nik Vucevic. His style has you drawn in from the beginning as he discusses on of the biggest event in Vucevic’s life. At a young age Nik was involved in one of the most horrific train crashes in Serbia. A crash that changed his life and ultimately his outlook on sports. The story does a great job of describing Nik as a young boy prior to the crash. The description of the crash and how it ties back into his playing career is done with smooth transition. Check out the full story here:

http://www.csnphilly.com/basketball-philadelphia-sixers/sixers-talk/Accident-still-shaping-Sixers-rookie-Vuc?blockID=693610&feedID=704

Ron Artest, now formally know as Metta World Peace is a brusier. What doest this mean? He is a defense first player that isn’t afraid to get physical when his team needs it. He fits this role perfectly with the Lakers, and proved sometimes things are taken way to far. Peace is a repeat offender in the league, and his elbow to the face of James Harden warranted a suspension. But why did he decide to pull an MMA move in the NBA? Here are my 4 reasons why he swung away.

4.) Ron being Ron: Like I said before he is a repeat offender. Some people solve their frustration by yelling , maybe taking a walk. Mr. Peace does so by hurting others, just ask the guy who threw the beer at him in Detroit.

3.) Celebration gone wrong: If you watched the game you would have seen Metta telling the referee’s that he hit Harden during his elaborate celebration. Yeah he had just thrown down a massive tomahawk, but who celebrates swinging thier elbows in the air.

2.) Game plan: I’m not saying Mike Brown told Metta to hit Harden, Im saying he told him to watch him. Sometimes player like Peace don’t take the word watch to another level. Maybe Brown should pick somebody else next time to watch perennial all-stars like Harden.

1.) Jawing: There is no real way to defend what Peace did on this play, but we can assume their had to be some provoking. Harden and Peace were at it all day, going tit for tat. Maybe Artest didn’t like how Harden bodied him up on the play, so he decided to let him know with an elbow haymaker

The NHL playoffs provide us with the hard hits, trick shots and team chemistry that every sports fan years for. It called the best hockey, because its simply the biggest stage. This year we have seen a number of storylines from Brodeurs playoff records to eight seed upsets. As we inch ever so closer to the Stanley Cup, I provide my predictions and results.

First round: While some of the series in this round are already decided, Ill tell you what I’ve liked so far. The Capitals are proving that a juggernaught can be defeated. The Bruins are proving just because your a former champion doesn’t mean you get a free pass. The Canucks have already learned the above, hence their elimination. The Flyers proved team chemistry and mental toughness can beat talent. Sid the Kid realized crying about something doest change the result.

Second round:

(2)Bruins vs (8)Senators: After an early scare by the Capitals, the Bruins prove to be to much as they find their way into the second round. But another pesky low seed in the Senators will have the city of Boston reeling once again. The only difference this time, the Bruins will be prepared.

Boston in 5 games

(3) Panthers vs (5) Flyers: Philly has proven they can score, a lot. But will goaltending bring them down from reaching the ultimate dream? I think not, and the Flyers have a great matchup in the Panthers. Look for another wild series.

Philadelphia in 5 games

(3)Predators vs (4)Phoneix: The coveted 3 vs 4 matchup, one of hockey’s greatest. This series will come down to which goalie plays better. Rinne and Smith are two of the best in the game, and it will apparent. The Predators have one advantage, scoring and that will be the decider.

Nashville in 6

(8) Kings vs (2) Blues: Ken Hitchcock might be the best coach in the league this year, and his team isn’t to bad either. But the Kings might be the best story of the playoffs this year knocking off Vancouver. Which will prove supreme? Its simple, the Blues were the best team for almost the entire season, the Kings just touched fame recently.

St. Louis in 5

Eastern Finals:

Philly vs Boston

Nashville vs St. Louis

Ill let you minds wonder on these matchups.

I had te chance this year to interview JMU head men’s basketball coach Matt Brady, it was an eye opening interview. If you like the JMU vs GMU rivalry keep reading:

Today’s match up between George Mason and James Madison marks the 88th match up between the two squads.  While James Madison holds the all time series record George Mason has been dominate as of late winning the last 16 out of 17 match ups.  The teams are seemingly headed in different directions as George Mason looks to the pad their CAA conference lead, while Madison tires to shake the dust as they climb the CAA cellar.  We sat down with James Madison head coach Matt Brady yesterday to talk about this JMU, GMU rivalry.  Brady knows this battle is going to be tough, and the Dukes have seen their fair share of setbacks this year in part due to the injury bug.  Take a listen as coach Brady talks about his teams expectations for the year, the teams freshman presence and what this rivalry has become during his 4 year tenure.

Aging is inevitable, and for those in the sports profession its something they try to avoid as long as possible. The game is a physical one, and over the years it grueling impact on the body takes its toll. But there are those few who seem to defy the odds, players that make the motto”the older the wiser” a truth. With the win on Friday by 39 year old goaltender Martin Brodeur he etched a page in the history book proving age means nothing on the biggest stage. Here is my list of the top 5 players who played the game with passion years past their prime:

5. Julio Franco: He played over 23 years in MLB, with just under a .300 batting average for his career. A three time all-star and five time silver slugger award winner, Franco left his mark on baseball. But while his stats were good, he will always be remembered as the oldest MLB player to put on a uniform. A record that is now tied by the 49 year old Jamie Moyer.

4.) Jamie Moyer: While Franco was know as the oldest player to suit up in the field, Moyer did his part as a pitcher. Yeah, and he still does. Entering his 24th year Moyer has some hardware to go along with his long career as he was an all-star in 03 and a member of the Phillies World Championship team in 2008. He has the most active wins, losses and strikeouts of any active pitcher.

3.) Ronde Barber: The NFL is grueling, especially on defense. But Ronde has proved his resiliency as he played in his 15th season this past year. He not only won a Superbowl, but he was selected 5 times to the Pro-Bowl and slated as a three time first team All-Pro selection. He leads the league in most starts by a cornerback and most sacks by a cornerback. Barber is three the list purely cause at age 37, he can keep up with some of the fastest receivers in the game, who are mostly 10 years his senior or younger.

3.) Martin Brodeur: He enters his 18th season with the New Jersey Devils at the age of 37. He is the NHL leader in most wins, most shutouts, most career saves, most overtime wins and most games played by an NHL goaltender. He is the only goaltender to ever score a game winning goal. This season he will surpass the 100 playoff game milestone. It doesn’t look like he’s aged at all.

2.) Karl Malone: The “Mailman” played an illustrious 19 year career, mostly with the Utah Jazz. His duo with John Stockton is one of the best two man punches ever in basketball. Malone left the game as the number two all time scorer in NBA history. He has a number of playoff greats, MVP awards and ranks as one of the top 50 players in the game.

1.) Brett Favre: The below video explains everything you need to know:

WATCH

The underdog story in sports is what we phanatics feed on. We love those eight seed’s knocking off the best in the game. Over the past two seasons the Caps have reached the NHL playoffs as a top seed, only to be eliminated early. Could that luck change this year when they represent the eight overall seed? I think so and here are my reasons to prove it.

Note: The last four seasons the Capitals have finished first in the Southeast Conference, never making it past the Quarterfinals in any of those seasons. In 2009 they were the best team in the regular season winning the President’s Trophy.

1.) Ovechkin: While the team has been up and down all season, there has still been flashes of brilliance by the Russian. As long as the Capitals can keep him fresh and relaxed this postseason expect big things from Ovi.

Note: Ovechkin is seen as a scorer, against the Bruins this season he has three points all assists. Being the facilitator could prove to be a good formula against the pesky Bruins.

2.) Expectations: Some think a coaching change was the answer to the Capitals early season woe’s. I disagree, it was purely a problem with expectation. Winning the Southeast division each year and under achieving in the playoffs was casting a dark shadow over the sea of red. The Capitals who have been up and down all year have played one of the most relaxed season’s in a long while.

Note: The Capitals are a pesky eight seed because they come in with lots of experience. Many times you get teams that sneak in as newcomers in that eight spot. This is the opposite you have a past number one seed hiding in an eight seed body.

3.) History: While these two teams have only met twice in the playoffs, the Capitals have the most recent edge. They defeated the Bruins in 1998 in route to their appearance in the finals against the Red Wings.

Note: The Capitals won the overall season series against the Bruins this year 3-1.

I predict the Capitals to win this series in 7 games. Its going to be a long series so if your a Capitals fan strap yourselves in.

The NBA playoffs is something created by underdogs, last second shots and flu games. Its a matchup that post the best 8 teams against each other in a battle royal. With just under 10 games left to play in this years shortened NBA season, I take a look at the East teams I think will be playing come postseason time.

1.) Chicago: This team has proven they can win even without their star point guard. The clutch play of Loul Deng brings this team depth. They should cruise through the of the season winning enough games to edge Miami.

2.) Miami: The Heat have been great this year, but they have had lapses that potentially will cost the number one overall seed. Lebron is poised to win another MVP, and don’t be surprised if he gets a majority of the consideration for Defensive Player of the Year.

3.) Indiana: Maybe one of the biggest surprises of the year, they are a teams team. Danny Granger has become the number one scorer Indiana has missed since the days of Reggie Miller. This team is ready to win now.

4.) Boston: The fourth overall seed is theirs to win or lose. The Celtics are playing great basketball at the right time. They are proving they can not only win the easy games, but the ones against powerhouses as well. Who said this team was old?

5.) Atlanta: I was tempted to put Orlando before Atlanta but it wouldn’t make sense. Right now Atlanta is the better team, but they wont last forever unless Josh Smith can get some help. Joe Johnson doesn’t look like the same player.

6.) Orlando: This team is a sloppy playoff team. They are lucky to be in the sixth spot, and as long as there is off court drama don’t expect any ground to be made on the fifth seed.

7.) New York: I would have put the Knicks at the 4 seed, but there schedule is just to difficult. Also the early season slump may just prove to much. But none the less expect to see this team in the playoffs for a matchup with the Heat.

8.) Philadelphia: Starting the season in the 4th spot was great for a team with little expectation. No big name scorer hasn’t slowed Philadelphia, a team built on strong defense. It will be a battle these last few games, but I think the Sixers hold on to that eight spot.

If you ask the average person who is “Rocky”, the answer is a simple regurgitation of the film starring Sylvester Stallone. The story of man that became legend from his work ethic and want for success in the sport of boxing. ESPN Films director Jeff Feuerzeig reverts the image of rocky on the big screen, to what he calls ” The Real Rocky.” The documentary follows the life of Chuck Wepner, a heavy weight boxer from Bayonne, New Jersey. The “Bayonne Bleeder” as he is called is the definition of a tough journeyman in the boxing world. His nickname a result of the many laceratons he recieved throughout his boxing career. His calling card a 15 round fight with the great Muhammad Ali, knocking him down in the ninth round. Wepners determination and strength in the ring help him resonate with fans around the world
This documentary is the true underdog story, its the life of an old shool boxer at a time when boxing was a sport that ruled supreme. It dives into the controversy of the Rocky film and whether it was a creation of Wepner life. Stallone insists the movie was not made after the life of Wepner. Although it has been said many of the character resemble great fighters such as Apollo Creed is supposed to be Ali. In the movie Creed beats Rocky in the fight drawing close comparison’s to the famous Wepner Rocky fight. Its an amazing story of a former Marine who sold liquor by day, to a ranked heavy weight boxer.
“The Real Rocky” is a true feel good sports story. It provides insight into the life of a man and the actions he performed in the ring. The documentary does a nice job of depicting Wepner’s life, while showing New Jersey landmarks such as the Jersey City Armory and Ringside Tavern. The layout is well done as it shows equal treatment to all angles of the story. I enjoyed the parts of the documentary that showed the newspaper writers in a bar discussing the great fights of Wepner. Although it would have been even better if they had some more great boxers give there take on the story. While the newspaper writers have a unique angle, a former boxer understand what Wepner went through.
This story does a wonderful job of contrasting two of the biggest moments in Wepner’s life. This movie is both a political and a literal fight depicting great memories of Wepner’s fight with Rocky and the bad ones of his court battle with Stallone. Without this even contrast this documentary would lose its compelling nature. It shows us sports fans that battles within the ring or court sometimes go beyond what we see on television. Wepner does eventually settle out of court with Stallone, providing a happy ending to a sports story that stole the heart of millions.

Wayne Simmonds is on his way to one of the best NHL seasons of his career. His stat line is 21 goals and 37 assists, his highest totals in his four year career. Simmonds, an Ontario native, was drafted by the LA Kings in 2007. After playing in LA for three years Simmonds was traded to the Philadelphia Flyers where he hasnt missed a beat. Simmonds was named NHL player of the week this week for his contributions on the ice. But what seperates SImmonds from other NHL player who have done similar feats? Simmonds is a black NHL player. Below is my list of 5 greatest black NHL players in the game today

1. ) Jerome Iginla: There really isnt much Iginla hasnt accomplished in his allustrious career. He was a first team all-star three years, an Art Ross Trophy recipient, two time winner of the ESPY for best NHL player and even made the NHL All-Rookie team his inagural season. Iginla is a perrenial hall of famer and a leader on he rink.
2.) Ray Emery: A seven year veteran of the NHL, Emery also known as “Razon” has been an assest to every team he has taken the ice for. A goalie by trade Emery makes the bigs saves when you team needs them the most. His best seaso came when he helped the number 4 seeded Ottawa Senators make it to the Stanley Cup in 2007.
3.) Dustin Byfuglien: Known by many as a pure defenseman, Byfuglien showed in the 2010 playoffs he was much more acting many times as a scorer. HIs big body allows him to create offense and help his team win games.
4.) Kyle Okposo: A 23 year old winer, this young gun is a promising force in the NHL. HIs 42 points this year are tops on the team and he is only getting better.
5.) Wayne Simmonds