After a year of isolation, I slowly entered the health club with a gym bag around my shoulder and a mask upon my face.  Regardless of the Peloton bike, exercise ball, and weight bench gathering dust in my living room, I was fully vaccinated, and it was time to get out. It felt like a Saturday, but in the aftermath of quarantine naming days, months, or even years remained a challenge.  The gym was quiet as I reintroduced myself to the various machines, worked out for about an hour, then headed to the jacuzzi to ease a few aches. The confusion began once exiting the locker room as a high school... Read More

The Washington Football Team recently asked for fan input to find a new name for its NFL franchise.  Once known as the Redskins, the franchise abandoned the controversial team name after years of public pressure, eventually settling on calling the team the Washington Football Team until a new name was decided upon.  The organization has asked fans to vote on possible choices such as the Red Wolves, Wild Hogs, Aviators, and more. The organization has even asked for feedback on calling the team the Washington Capitol City Football Club. Hey WFT!  WTF? The conversation had me thinking about team... Read More

The last time a Denver Nugget won an MVP award was back in 1969-70.  The player was Spencer Haywood, the league was the ABA, and technically, he wasn’t a Nugget, as the team was then called the Denver Rockets. Since the merger from the ABA to the NBA, there have been many great Nuggets such as Alex English, David Thompson, and Carmelo Anthony.  But none have won an MVP. Nikola Jokic is looking to change that. The oddsmakers will point to a Lebron James (LAL), Joel Embiid (PHI), or a James Harden (BRK) as betting favorites to take home the trophy, but the sixth-year center from Serbia shouldn’t... Read More

My belief system has forever included three absolutes.  Salsa is the greatest condiment in the world, red wine goes with everything, and Michael Jordan is the greatest basketball player that has ever lived. Now I am not so sure. After winning his fourth NBA Championship last October, and continuing to dominate at the age of thirty-six, my belief system is now in question as Lebron James continues to dazzle while the debate grows ever closer. To solve that debate, I developed a method to answer the question once and for all.  A mathematical process if you will. The first step was to select a small... Read More

‘Twas a few nights before Christmas and filled with elation.  The NBA was now back from its tiny vacation.  Chris Paul now a Sun and Steph Curry a go.  A new Max-Player deal for Antetokounmpo. That last line a bit forced if we’re being quite honest.  Should’ve mentioned Durant and then simply used Giannis. There’s Doncic, and Zion, a few guys to the Sixers. James Harden’s late flights to loud Vegas mixers. Hayward to the Hornets in his warm Christmas sweater.  The Clippers got clipped while the Lakers got better. Westbrook now a Wizard and with Beal, he shall play. And an apropos... Read More

With the start of the 2020-21 season less than a month away, the NBA was in hustle-mode as it tried to make up for lost time.  On Wednesday of last week, the wait was finally over for many young hopefuls as the NBA draft took place, five months later than expected.  Days after, free agent frenzy came storming through as players jumped around the league looking for new homes and riches. It was a crazy week in which 22 of the 60 players drafted ended up being traded, Gordon Hayward rejected a one-year/$34 million player option with the Celtics, and Dwight Howard tweeted out that he was coming back... Read More

The 2003 NBA Draft was arguably the greatest in the history of the game.  Lebron James was chosen by Cleveland with the first overall pick, Carmelo Anthony would fall to the Denver Nuggets at pick number three, and Dwayne Wade would go to Miami at number five. This isn’t 2003.  Not even close. The 2020 NBA Draft is shaping up as one of the weakest drafts of all-time, void of a Zion, a Ja, or even a Rui Hachimura. Here’s a look at the teams, the draft order, the predictions, and the reason 2020 just keeps getting worse.   Minnesota Timberwolves – Anthony Edwards – 6’5/225/SG/Georgia... Read More

To say that 2020 has been a bit strange is an understatement.  People wear a mask when entering banks, toilet paper and Clorox wipes are the new currency, and being home-schooled has a whole new meaning. In a year that has included political division, countless protests, and a worldwide pandemic, it is only with the return of sports that we are allowed distraction for a few hours, briefly returning to a world we once deemed sane. Sports are the rational in a time of irrationality, the normal in times of abnormality, and the calming in times of calamity. At least until this week that is. The... Read More

Ask someone to name their favorite sport and you will find a variety of answers.  The question so subjective that a crack of a bat, smell of fresh cut grass, or even taste of cheese dip may elicit contrasting responses. Ask someone to name the toughest sport and you will find arguments defending the size and speed of the everyday linebacker, the blood and bruises of the MMA fighter, and the toothless grin of the second-line hockey player.  Again subjective. But ask which sport has done the best job returning to play during a pandemic and there looks to be plenty of evidence to judge them objectively. ... Read More

As congressional leaders continue to work on the latest Coronavirus Relief Bill, a major point of contention between the two parties is how they should handle the expired unemployment benefits.  One side has argued that the $600 a week benefit, which expired on July 31, should be extended by the Federal Government as families continue to struggle in an environment that includes double-digit unemployment, a struggling economy, and a dangerous pandemic. The other side argues that the $600 was too generous as it discouraged Americans from going back to work, often paying the unemployed more than... Read More