NBA HALL OF FAME FINALISTS

By Mark Halpern

     With the All-Star Weekend kicking off yesterday, February 17th, the NBA announced the finalists for this year’s HOF nominees. The list includes famous names from the NBA, WNBA/NCCAW, and the NCAA. In no order at all, here they are

 1. Dwayne Wade of the Miami Heat.

2. Dirk Nowitzki of the Dallas Mavericks

3. Tony Parker of the San Antonio Spurs

4. Pau Gasol, who played on many great teams

5. San Antonio Spurs coaching legend Gregg Popovich

6. David Hixon, who was Amherst’s coach

7. Gene Keady, longtime coach at Purdue

8. Gene Bess, Legendary Three Rivers Coach

9. Marion Washington, longtime coach at Kanas

10. WNBA Legend Becky Hammon

11. Gary Blair Long time coach at Texas A&M

12. Stanford’s guard Jennifer Azzi.

This is a Phenomenal Class for contention. I saw Most of them who played n the NBA from the beginning of their career till the end. As for the College and WNBA players, I also knew them well. It’s a great class, and I can’t wait to see who gets in.

WOODS MADE TO FEEL LIMP

By Mark Halpern

As many of you may know, Tiger Woods was back in the spotlight yesterday but for the right and wrong reasons. Woods is playing in the Genesis invitational at The Riviera Country Club in Palisades, California. He is joined by the PGA’s top players, including his longtime friend Justin Thomas.

     Throughout history, different sports have had jokes played within the league, pranking one another. Baseball has had the Hot Foot, Bubble Gum on the hat, and stealing a snack from a fan, to give you one example. During yesterday’s second round, Tiger outdrove Justin Thomas on the 9th hole. While walking to get to their next shots, Woods jokingly handed Thomas a Tampon and continued walking. This was an inside joke between friends and nothing more. However, once shown on ESPN and the Golf Channel, many women began complaining that Woods was insensitive to women. This was not Woods’ intention by any means.

    Justin Thomas discarded the item, laughed, and kept walking toward his next shot. While heading to the green, Thomas and Woods were seen laughing, giving a bro hug, and continued playing. Again this was nothing more than a joke amongst longtime friends, and that’s how the old man sees it.

Somebody’s Got Some Explaining To Do

By: Mike Rifkin

When talking about cheating in Baseball, the most recent memory was the 2017 Houston Astros. The punishments were severe, with General Manager Jeff Luhnow and Manager AJ Hinch both suspended for one year, and then both were fired by the organization. Former assistant General Manager Brandon Taubman was also suspended for a year. The Astros organization was fined $5 million, and the team had to forfeit their first, and second-round draft picks for the next two seasons. But the arguably most significant punishment is the mark this left some players. Whether it’s being booed on the road or how voters could see their Hall of Fame candidacy. The Astros did win the World Series last year, so the narrative about 2017 can change. Some people felt the punishment didn’t do enough. There were people mainly from Los Angeles (and some in New York) who wanted the 2017 World Series to be handed to them or act like it never happened. 

For some irony, Evan Drellich of the Athletic has a new book coming out, and in the book, he interviewed an unnamed Boston Red Sox player who said, “The Dodgers have always been the thing that bothers me the most. They’re the biggest cheaters in the industry. They were doing it against us in the 2018 World Series. They got caught by Major League Baseball, and Major League Baseball did nothing.” The 2018 Red Sox were also investigated for cheating. The replay guy got suspended for a season, and they had to forfeit a second-round pick. The Red Sox suffered from the Astros cheating scandal when Manager Alex Cora was suspended for the 2020 season but was brought back. 

What makes the Dodgers special? If Major League Baseball did know that the Dodgers were cheating, why was nothing done? People have already passed judgment on the Astros and the Red Sox. So if the Dodgers cheated in both World Series, as the report in the book says, then commissioner Rob Manfred should tell the fans all of these findings. Now if he never looked into the allegations against the Dodgers, he has to explain that. Everyone is watching Manfred’s next move, no matter what he says. The sign stealing and cheating scandals under Manfred has happened too often. 

The Real Answer to the Lebron vs. MJ Debate

By: Mike Rifkin

During the Lakers- Thunder game on Tuesday night, Lebron James became the NBA’S all-time leading scorer passing Kareem Abdul – Jabbar’s record. Since appearing on the Sports Illustrated cover, deeming himself the chosen one, LeBron James has done what many athletes have not, and that’s lived up to the hype. But there’s always one debate that gets people: who is the Greatest Basketball player of All Time, Lebron or Michael Jordan? 

LeBron James has won four championships and won four NBA Finals MVPs. LeBron has also won four regular season MVPs. He is not only the NBA’s all-time leading scorer but also in the top five in assists and top ten in steals.

Michael Jordan won six Championships and was the MVP of each. Jordan won five regular season MVPS. Other Jordan accolades include 1984-85 Rookie Of The Year, 1987-88 Defensive Player Of The Year, nine-time All Defense, and three-time steals leader. Jordan is third all-time in steals, while LeBron currently sits ninth. While LeBron is first in scoring, Jordan is fifth. 

Here is the most significant question people should have when comparing the two, and they both surround Jordan. What if Jordan didn’t play minor league baseball in 1993-94, and leave the Bulls. What if he didn’t retire for three years before going to Washington in 2001-02? What would Jordan’s numbers look like, then? 

Both have great accolades, and nobody can deny the greatness of either player. So the answer to the question of who wins this debate is NBA Fans everywhere who were lucky to watch both guys play. It’s an unfair comparison between the two because we will never have seen them go head to head, so instead of comparing the two, how about you appreciate that you got to witness both of them play? Would LeBron have the exact numbers if he played in the 1980s? What would Jordan’s numbers look like if he never retired? What would Jordan look like if he played in today’s game? We will never know the answers to these questions, so quit bellyaching over those you deemed the greatest and just be thankful you got to witness greatness. 

MY THOUGHTS ON THIS YEARS SUPERBOWL

By Mark Halpern

Tomorrow the top two seeds in the NFL, the Kanas City Chief, and the Philadelphia Eagles, will battle to prove who is the best team in the NFL. The Superbowl has seen many close matchups. We have seen game-winning last-second field goals or touchdowns and, of course, plenty of blowouts. What are we going to see tomorrow night? I wish I had that answer so I could take advantage, but here is my take.

  In the AFC, we have the Kanas City Chiefs coached by one of the NFL’s top two active coaches, Andy Reid. Andy Reid has been to the dance before and knows that there is a ton of distractions during media week, and I am sure once that was all done, things got down to business. The Chiefs are led by Patrick Mahomes, who has a Superbowl win on his belt, so he knows the atmosphere as well as Travis Kelce. However, for many of the Chiefs players, this is their first time in the world’s biggest showcase, and it can be a lot to take in. With the likes of this Chiefs offense and its explosiveness, they will have to do most of the point scoring. The question is, what is the condition of star Quarterback Patrick Mahomes? He severely hurt his ankle in the Division playoff game and toughed it out; when the Chiefs got to the AFC Championship game, you could see he was still hampered by it, but he has now had two weeks to get treatment and healing time. So we will see which version of Mahomes is there. The Chief’s defense is their Achilles’ heel, as they tend to give up lots of yards through the air. Their run defense is good and has to be top-notch, as they have to control Jalen Hurts. My underdog player on the Chiefs is Kadarius Toney. Toney was traded from the Giants towards the second half of the season and has yet to make a substantial contribution, and the Eagles might underestimate him. The run game will have to produce and not make Mahomes throw 50 times in the game because the Eagle’s defense is that good, so Mahomes will have to be at his best against this defense because if the Eagles stop the Chiefs from running and have to pass all the time the Eagles will control the game. However, Mahomes can still throw the ball very well and has plenty of capable receivers, and Pacheko is a rookie but is a speedy running back and is valuable in the pass-and-run game.

    Looking at the Eagles, they are nothing short of a fantastic team (this coming from a Die-hard Dallas fan), whether on Offense or Defense. The offense for the Eagles is just as explosive as the Chiefs. The big thing is that Hurts is basically like Lamar Jackson (except he can throw with better accuracy), so the Chiefs will have to control the line of scrimmage. If you control the running game, you must stop this three-headed monster of A.J. Brown, Devonta Smith, and Dallas Goedert. One question is, what is the status of Jalen Hurts shoulder? As far as the Eagles organization has released is that Hurts is good to go. Hurts went down with three games left when he severely sprained his throwing shoulder. He was kept out until the season’s final game, and even then, you could tell he was bothered by the shoulder then. However, that shoulder looked fine last week, so don’t worry about Hurts. I think A.J. Brown will have a vast game and could have a two-touchdown night. The Eagle’s defense is ranked at the top of the NFL for a reason. They are quick off the line and can get to the Quarterback quickly. The Eagle’s number one passing defense will be tested and tested often. This isn’t a team where you can double cover any wide receiver as someone will be open, and that is where Quez Watkins could be a factor. The Eagles come out with a balanced attack and will find holes in the Chief’s defense and exploit them.

     Both teams deserve to be here in this spotlight game. I know a particular fan base that is pissed off at a HORRIBLE roughing the passer call in the AFC Championship, and another team in the NFC Championship thinks they were cheated. It may be the ref’s fault that the wrong teams are in the Superbowl because of bad calls or no calls, but what can I or any of us do about it? Absolutely nothing. There can be no change of the two teams that are in the Superbowl, and I am excited to see this game. I look at all the factors, and the Chiefs edge out the Eagles 38-31; and that is how the old man sees it.

MY FAVORITE SUPERBOWL

By Mark Halpern

     I have seen every Superbowl from when I was six years old, and I have seen some fantastic games and I have seen plenty of blowouts. However, I am a Cowboys true, and through so, it should be no surprise that my favorite Superbowl is XXVII Dallas Cowboys vs. Buffalo Bills.

    The Dallas Cowboys broke training camp with the youngest and hungriest team in the NFL. The great Jimmy Johnson put this team together starting in 1989 by selecting Troy Aikman and pairing him with one of the NFL’s best young receivers in, Michael Irvin. The Next year Dallas made the Trades of Trades with the Vikings, which brought the likes of Russel Maryland and the great Emmitt Smith. In these two years, Dallas put together a dynasty.

   The Cowboys had a pretty flawless season in 92/93 by going 13-3 and dominating every big team in the league except the 49ers. The NFC championship game was a battle to the end, but an Aikman to Kelvin Martian 10 yard TD pass sealed the game and moved Dallas to play in Pasadena in the Super Bowl.

   Getting to a Superbowl is part of every Football player’s dream. The Cowboys were about to face off against a Buffalo Bills team that pulled off one the greatest comebacks in the AFC Championship game history, coming back over 25 points to beat the Houston Oilers.

From the kickoff of the Superbowl, everything was going wrong for Dallas. A blocked punt on the first drive and a three-and-out on the second made fans nervous. The Next drive Started it all. Aikman got his composer back, drove down the field, and hit Jay Novacheck for a 23-yard pass tying the game up. On the next drive, a tipped pass at the goal line, Jimme Jones picks it off and falls into the endzone. Dallas goes up  14-7 Dallas at the end of the first quarter.

  Buffalo showed some life in the second quarter by tacking on 3 points, but this would be the end of the bills as the Cowboys took over from there. Aikman had turned into a sniper by almost completing every pass after the Novacheck touchdown. It was time to get the ball to the Playmaker Michael Irvin, and he did. Over the next two drives, Irvin had two TD catches, one for 18 yards and another for 19. Going into the half, the Cowboys were up 28-10.

  The third quarter seemed to fizzle, but the Cowboys tacked on three, and Don “Had too many concussions” Beebe had a 40-yard TD catch to narrow the lead, but that would be the end of the Buffalo scorning.

   Ahh, in the fourth quarter, Aikman wasted no time hitting a wide-open Alvin Harper for a 45-yard score; on the next drive, Emmitt smith got into the endzone on a 10-yard scamper, and then Ken Norton Jr scooped up a Thurman Thomas fumble and took it to the house adding yet another score making it 52-17 a few points shy of the points record. On the next drive, Leon Lett scooped up a fumble and had a straight line to the endzone, but like a child, tried to get fancy and look cool and held the ball with one hand and Don Beebe pulled a DK Metcalf and ran down Lett knocking the ball out of his hand and recovered for a touchback. It was the most life seen out of any Buffalo Player the entire game.

  In the end, Troy Aikman was named MVP after completing 22/30 for 273 yards and four touchdowns. It was a great mixture of defensive and offensive plays and a game I won’t forget.

Organizational Failure

By: Mike Rifkin

On July 1st, 2019, the Brooklyn Nets signed Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving to massive four-year contracts. Three and a half years later, both Durant and Irving were traded in the same week. This era has to be considered one of the biggest failures in NBA history. 

At one point, they even had James Harden, who forced his way to Brooklyn and less than a full year later got shipped to Philadelphia for Ben Simmons. Durant, Irving, and Harden played 16 games together, going 13-3. 

The NBA has turned into this super team-based league, and this has to be considered one of the biggest super team failures in NBA history. This group won a total of ONE playoff series. 

When Durant and Irving joined forces in Brooklyn, many people, whether in the media or elsewhere, thought the Nets would run New York City and laughed at the Knicks, but this is a rare Knicks win, avoiding this situation over the last few years. Look, the pieces that the Nets got in these trades could help them win in the future, but we have to look at Durant – Irving era as an absolute failure. 

STEVE COHEN THE CURRENT GEORGE STEINBRENNER

By Mark Halpern

Let’s take a trip back to the end of the 2000 season; George Steinbrenner shells out the most significant contract, a 7-year 100mil+, to Jason Giambi. This contract is the first contract of $ 100 million of its kind. It didn’t stop there as we saw the Yankees hand out deals to the best players for an average of $80 million, turning those teams into World Series champs. Stein Brenner was asked what he thought of the other owners and that they couldn’t do what he was doing. He simply said, “My team, I will spend as much as I want, and there is no rule against it.” Steinbrenner was also smart by hiring one of the best front-office personnel and coaching staff in baseball. However, he never cared what other owners thought of him with all that he was spending.

     Now let us take a trip forward twenty years; we don’t have to go far, but the New York Mets were bought by Billionaire and die-hard Mets fan Steve Cohen. Cohen expressed that he wanted to bring in a championship team and will do everything in his power. So, in his first three years, Steve Cohen has brought in Free Agents Starling Marte, Francisco Lindor, Mark Canha, Max Scherzer, Justin Verlander, and Kodai Senga. Steve Cohen has spent better than a Billion dollars to bring in a winning team. Steve Cohen also had the great help of a talented front office lead by GM Billy Eppler. Steve Cohen was interviewed with ESPN and said, “I am not responsible for how other teams run their clubs. They set the rules down, and I am just following them.” Basically, Cohen felt the same way Steinbrenner felt. It’s my team, and I will do what I damn, please.

    Suppose you look at what Steinbrenner did during his tenure as Yankees owner. The team accomplished a lot, but it took a little time, but the Yankees are the Yankees, and we know how many rings, etc., they have. Now the momentum has shifted cross town to Queens, New York, where Steve Cohen is taking the philosophy that he has the money and wants a winning team, and no one will get in his way of that. Only when Major League Baseball imposes a Salary Cap (never happen in the next decade) there is nothing to stop Cohen from spending, and we will be in tier one of the salary luxury cap. Steve doesn’t care what other owners have to say and will continuing his player search with the promise of bringing a Championships to the New York Mets and that is how the old man sees it.

Dolphins Season In Review/Offseason Preview

By: Mike Rifkin

For the first time in six years, the 2022 Miami Dolphins made the playoffs. The Dolphins’ season was streaky. They won their first three games, then lost three, then won five, then lost five before winning their season finale to make the playoffs. 

The biggest question going into the 2022 season was Tua Tagovailoa’s development. The Dolphins brought a pro-Left Tackle, Terron Armstead, and Connor Williams to help the offensive line. They made a massive trade with the Chiefs to acquire Receiver Tyreek Hill. Hill’s chemistry with Tua did not disappoint, as Hill broke the franchise record with the most receptions in a single season with 119 receiving yards in a single season. With 1,710 yards. Second-year receiver Jaylen Waddle followed up a great rookie year with a solid second season. Waddle had 75 catches for 1,356 yards and eight touchdowns. Raheem Mostert, who came from San Francisco and head coach Mike McDaniel, had 891 rushing yards and three touchdowns. They traded with the 49ers to get Jeff Wilson at the trade deadline, and in eight games, Wilson ran for 392 yards and three touchdowns. 

Tua’s ability shouldn’t be questioned after he posted a 64.9 completion percentage of 3,548 yards, 25 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Tua had a QB Rating of 105.5, which was at the top of the NFL. Tua did suffer three concussions during the season. One occurred on Christmas day against the Packers, the last game Tua played during the season. There will be questions on the backup quarterback position. Will the Dolphins retain Teddy Bridgewater, or did Skylar Thompson show enough against the Bills that he can be the backup? Or does the team go after a different veteran? What if Aaron Rodgers says to the Packers that he wants to go to Miami? Do the Dolphins inquire about that? Derek Carr or Jimmy G is not an upgrade, although Garoppolo knows the system. 

The Dolphins’ defense took a bit of a backward step this season. The defense gave up 23.9 points per game, compared to 21.9 in 2021. In 2021 the defense was top five in sacks. This season they were middle of the pack. Part of that reason was Emmanuel Ogbah, whom the Dolphins gave a big contract to in the offseason, had one sack in nine games before getting a season-ending triceps injury. Former first-round pick Jaelan Phillips backed up his 8.5 sacks in his rookie season with seven. The Dolphins made a splash at the trade deadline when they traded their first-round pick to the Broncos for Bradley Chubb and signed him to a five-year contract worth 110 million dollars with 53 million guaranteed. Chubb had 2.5 sacks in eight games as a Dolphin. The Dolphin secondary had to rely on young Kader Kohou and Keion Crossen players. They had to rely on these guys because Nik Needham was limited to six games before tearing his Achilles, and Byron Jones had off-season ankle surgery and didn’t play a snap. Safety Jevon Holland had a great year with 96 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and two interceptions. The Dolphins’ defense should improve next season because the guys will be healthy, and they hired Vic Fangio to be the new defensive coordinator. 

As it stands now, the Dolphins are 12 million dollars over the cap. To free up space, they can restructure the contracts of Tyreek Hill, Bradley Chubb, and Terron Armstead. Trading Cedric Wilson and extending defensive tackle Christian Wilkins can save money. Cutting Byron Jones and designating him as a post-June 1st cut can save the team 13 million dollars. 

Free agency

  1. Sign Mike McGlinchey – The Dolphins’ offensive line still needs to be improved, and Mchlinchey did play for Mike Mcdaniel in San Francisco. If the Bills cut Mitch Morse, he’d also be a name to check on. 
  2. Sign TJ Edwards – The Dolphins have multiple free agents at linebacker. Edwards has played a solid role for the Eagles. 
  3. Extend or Franchise Tag Christian Wilkins- Wilkins was arguably the most consistent Dolphin defender this season. Extending him would be significant for the franchise, as he and Zac Sieler have created a dynamic duo in the middle.
  4. Re-sign Raheem Mostert or Jeff Wilson- Both had their moments this year for the Dolphins. If both are back, that would be good, but I would spend my money wisely. 
  5. Re-sign Nik Needham – Needham was missed after his injury. Putting him back in the slot can help the Secondary and give it depth.

Draft 

RD 2 (51) – Jack Campbell- LB – Iowa. Campbell is an excellent tackler who could flourish in Fangios’s scheme.

RD 3 (78) – Kenny Mcintosh – RB – Georgia. If the Dolphins lose both Mostert and Wilson, running back becomes more necessary. Mcintosth was excellent for the Bulldogs and can be a good scheme fit.

RD 3 (84) – Dalton Kincade – TE – Utah. Mike Gesicki is a free agent, and it has been widely speculated that he will leave. Kincade is an excellent receiver and has good speed. He could be a better blocker, but he can give the Dolphins’ offense a high-upside tight end. 

Nothing But Nets

By: Mike Rifkin

On Friday, the NBA world was stunned when Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving requested a trade. According to reports, Irving and the Nets were talking about a contract extension, but the Nets wanted stipulations that have yet to be public. 

The Nets front office wants stipulations in Kyrie’s contract because Kyrie, as talented as he is, comes with much baggage. Whether it’s not wanting to play in the bubble, he is not vaccinated, flipping off opposing teams’ fans, or earlier this season when he didn’t disavow an anti-semitic movie and got suspended by the team for eight games. Kyrie, for the season, is averaging 27.1 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, and 5.3 assists per game. 

Kyrie has left the Nets’ front office with two choices. One is to give in to his request and not get total value for him, or they let this season play out, try to win a championship and then let him walk as a free agent. The choice is simple unless, given what is deemed total value, I keep Kyrie, and I can pull a sign and trade with him over the summer. Ever since Kyrie and Kevin Durant signed in Brooklyn, the goal was to win a championship, and when healthy, the Nets have as good of a chance as anyone else in the Eastern Conference to get to the Finals. 

My biggest problem with the request is the timing. The NBA trade deadline is Thursday, so give the Nets a week to make the deal. The other reason I find the timing peculiar is the Nets’ last game, and they got obliterated by the Boston Celtics, one of the teams they’d have to go through in the playoffs and Kyrie’s former team. Boston has defeated Brooklyn ten consecutive times, including a four-game sweep in the playoffs last season. 

If Kyrie is traded, does Kevin Durant, who requested a trade over the summer, but the Nets were unwilling to deal him, bring his request back? If Kyrie stays, it feels like a last chance at a title for Durant and Irving in Brooklyn; otherwise, the two of them going there will be viewed as a failure.