The Phoenix Suns win over the Lakers tonight was amazing. The bench played so well, coach Alvin Gentry sent Steve Nash and Amar’e Stoudemire back to the bench at one point because his second unit was schooling the Lakers starters. As “The Sports Guy” Bill Simmons wrote on his twitter account, “We need to have a ceremony where Manu passes the torch to Dragic as the most exciting foreign player.” Never thought we would hear that a year ago. Channing Frye found his way to the Western Conference finals via Google maps. And the 2-3 zone may not be the greatest, but its getting the job done.

The series is tied 2 games apiece and while that seemed like a miracle scenario after L.A. destroyed Planet Orange the first two games, I’m here to say, “temper that enthusiam Suns fans.”

I know. I know. Everyone hates that I’m “that guy” who comes in and rains on your parade with my pessimistic attitude toward everything. But i do it because all this means is that this series is back to square one. The Suns havent won anything yet. Do not get me wrong. I WANT THE SUNS TO WIN. (I wrote that in bold to illustrate my point). All im saying is that Suns fans have a tendancy to get too high on games, that while they are big/must win as tonights was, they still dont mean anything yet. Yet.

Anyone else see Kobe Bryant’s reaction after the game. He. Is. Pissed. I dont like him. Never will. But that man is still the best in the game and i dont want him angry. Especially when i dont have homecourt…which the Suns dont. I mean the Lakers could easily go out and throw up 130 in Game 5 and then the sky is falling again.

I’m not saying Phoenix cant win this series. They can. They have to win a game in L.A., but they can. We’ve seen a team come back from a 3-0 deficit in the NHL Playoffs this year, so anything is possible. All I’m saying is dont get too high. Take it from a guy who has learned that valuable lesson (Gary Anderson, Tracy Porter, Jason Arnott are just a few examples). The fall sucks. It will never leave you. So just be careful Planet Orange. And someone…anyone…make sure Frye has directions to the Staple Center.

After last nights two Eastern Conference semifinal games, i learned one thing….hand the Stanley Cup to whoever wins the Sharks/Blackhawks series. Seriously.

I didnt think many of the teams out East had a chance to beat the West when the playoffs began anyway, but the last month has just proved my point. You can say its parity. I say it’s overrated top teams who lost to lower seeds that are playing above their head.

Don’t get me wrong, the Montreal Canadiens run is fun to watch. Mike Cammalleri is sticking it to fans in western Canada who thought the kid couldnt cut it when he played for Calgary. This P.K. Subban kid on defense is fun to watch…and he’s only 20!And Jaroslav Halak has been amazing ever since the Olympics.

That said…you think San Jose or Chicago gives a crap? They have 24 titles!

Yeah, Pittsburgh has just as much firepower as anyone else and Montreal beat them, but this Penguins squad was different from last year. They just looked disinterested. Sidney Crosby didnt show up and Marc-Andre Fleury played like me in goal.

We dont have a winner yet in the Philadelphia/Boston series as of this writing, but I can you neither of these teams can hang. Hell…im picking Montreal to beat whoever wins tomorrow night. The city of Boston has had enough sucess this decade to last until 2100. Plus, not being able to close out this Philly team shows me they have no killer instinct, something you need as a championship team.

And Philly…well…they let Boston get up 3-0 on them in the first place. It will be a nice story if the pull a 2004 Red Sox, but Brian Boucher and Michael Leighton don’t scare me if I’m the Sharks or Blackhawks.

Sure…I could be wrong. Watch: Montreal will sweep Chicago and win it all. Halak is playing well enough for that to happen, but at somepoint the clock has to strike midnight and instead of playing another round of hockey, just hand the cup over to the Bay or the Windy City and hand the Conn Smythe to Joe Pavelski or Jonathan Toews.

I’m guessing this is not from spring drills at Rutgers. For one, most colleges dont have spring practice at their home field. And there’s the whole kid not knowing there’s a net on the ground. That has high school kid written all over it. Not sure how this young man got up from this. He contorted in a way that the human body isn’t supposed to contort. That and the whole face plant into the bottom rung of that railing. Regarless of why these kids are running so hard for a school they probably wont get into (we know face plant guy wont), this moment always reminds me of my favorite Adam Sandler quote

“There’s a fence there…someone should move it.”

I never like using the officiating as an excuse and some will argue that the 6-1 outcome had to do with more than just the refs. Normally you’re right. In this case, you’re not. After the Coyotes got a goal off the faceoff from Vern Fiddler to cut into Detroit’s 2-0 lead, the officials called Phoenix’s Adrian Aucoin for holding Tomas Holstrom. All the replays clearly show that Holmstrom pulled Aucoin down and the Wings scored on the ensuing power play.

Later, during a Coyotes power play, Detroit’s Henrik Zetterberg pushes the net off during a flurry of Phoenix chances and the Coyotes miss out on a 5 on 3 opportunity. After the power play ends, Brad Stuart, who was serving the penalty gets out of the box, gets behind the defemse and scores to make it 4-1 with 4 seconds left in the 2nd period. I’m not saying the Coyotes could have done anything on the 5 on 3 or even won the game, but we will never know.

Now that i got that out of the way, i’ll get to the reason for this post. The Coyotes are only going to get better. Remember, they played 4 and 1/2 of these games without their heart and soul…captain Shane Doan. They also were without speedy goal scorer Scottie Upshall, who led them in goals when he tore his ACL.

Not only will the core nucleus be back next year, but they have some great talent waiting in the wings. They still have 1st round picks Kyle Turris (2007) , Mikael Boedker (2008) and Viktor Tikhonov (2008), who have NHL games under their belt, but were used too early when the Gretzky era was in full force. These forwards have plenty of talent and speed to be 20+ goal scorers in the NHL. They also have 2009 first rounder Oliver Ekman-Larsson who, at only 18 years of age, is NHL ready according to most scouts.

Combine that with Matthew Lombardi, Keith Yandle, Martin Hanzel, Wojtek Wolski, and Sami Lepisto, these ‘Yotes can be good for years to come if they can keep some of the veterans they acquired at the deadline to round out this roster. They have the coach to get it done in Dave Tippett. The only thing that can sour the future is if the next Whiteout isn’t in Phoenix. Let’s all hope that doesnt happen.

So the 2010 NFL Draft came and went over 3 days this past weekend. I know you cant really grade a draft until 3-4 years down the line, but if Mel Kiper Jr. can do, so can I. Here are my winners and losers of this draft.

WINNERS:

SEATTLE SEAHAWKS: They used both first round picks wisely when they selected Oklahoma St. OT Russell Okung (6th overall) and Texas S Earl Thomas (14th overall). Both are top ten talent and Okung was a steal because the Redskins passed on him. They were somehow able to get Notre Dame WR Golden Tate at pick 60 to help the receiving corps as well. Many thought they would take a running back like Clemson’s C.J. Spiller or Fresno St.’s Ryan Matthews, but traded for 2 veterans instead on day 3 when they aquired Leon Washington from the Jets and LenDale White from the Titans. Head Coach Pete Carroll couldnt pass up the opportunity to get one of his old guys on his team. Despite pissing off his former USC S Taylor Mays, Carroll and Co. did a great job improving their team.

BALTIMORE RAVENS: They traded out of the first round, but did a tremendous job with their 2nd day picks despite losing some of them in the Anquan Boldin trade. They drafted one of the best pass rushers in the draft Texas OLB Sergio Kindle, who SHOULD have gone in the 20’s at pick 43 and then drafted Alabama NT Terrence “Mt.” Cody at pick 57. With Cody and Haloti Ngata, the Ravens have over 700 lbs of human being waiting to stop your runnning attack. They also took Syracuse DT Arthur Jones who will provide depth on the line. And it wouldnt be an Ozzie Newsome draft if he didnt select a tight end. He took 2 of the better TEs in Oregon’s Ed Dickson and BYU’s Dennis Pitta to help not just in the passing game, but in the running game as well.

SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS: The Niners stayed true to the Mike Singeltary mold of this team and took 2 physical offensive lineman with their two 1st round picks. Rutgers OT Anthony Davis and Idaho G Mike Iupati will greatly improve the run and pass game. They also got physical on the defensive side when they took the spurned Taylor Mays, who has already circled the opening week game against the Seahawks. They added Ted Ginn Jr. for a 5th rounder to help the receiving corps and the return game as well. The NFC West will be a tough divison since Seattle and San Franciso got better and the Arizona Cardinals…well…have Matt Leinart now.

LOSERS:

JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS: Dont really understand their draft at all. Taking Cal DT Tyson Alualu at 10 overall is worse then when the Raiders took DHB at 8 overall last year. I know they have since released DT John Henderson, but you could have taken Tennessee DT Dan Williams or UCLA DT Brian Price. Or you could have traded down and got more picks to take Alualu later. They then took Louisiana St DT D’Anthony Smith with their next pick that came in the 3rd round. I just dont understand any of what they did. Jack Del Rio should start updating his resume’.

WASHINGTON REDSKINS: They didnt have many picks because of the Donovan McNabb trade, but I think they missed on the first pick when they took Oklahoma OT Trent Williams over Russell Okung. Okung just looks more NFL ready and isnt that what you need to protect your new 33 year old QB? The Skins didnt pick again until the 4th round and reached on LSU OLB Perry Riley. There rest of their picks dont seem to make the roster. I also have them as a loser because of the McNabb trade itself. I like Jason Campbell and instead of trading away picks for an old QB, just let new coach Mike Shanahan work with Campbell. They also tried to trade DT Albert Haynesworth according to sources,  just a year after they gave him a 10-year, $124 million contract. Nice work Snyder.

DENVER BRONCOS: I have no idea what direction this team is headed in. They traded down twice in the first round to select Georgia Tech WR Demaryius Thomas. I dont have much of an issue with that as i do for trading the pick you got from Miami in the Brandon Marshall deal to get back in the first round to take Florida QB Tim Tebow. Why do people think he is going to be a great NFL QB? He had a superior team around him in Florida. Look at Matt Leinart for crying out loud. Plus, you have Kyle Orton and just traded for Brady Quinn. I’m not saying they are great QBs, but did you need to waste picks to get another signal caller. The Broncos need alot of help to catch the Chargers in that division. As well as the fact that Oakland got better. Head Coach Josh McDaniels may be too big for his britches because Tebow needs a few years to develop and by the time/if he does, Josh may not be around to coach him. 2 years ago they had Cutler to Marshall…now they have Orton to Thomas. Yeah…im not sacred either.

THE HARDCORE DRAFT FANS: This whole primetime 3 day thing sucked. Its bias to the east coast first of all. Hey Goodell, there are NFL fans out here in the west who have to work and probably didnt get home in time to see Jacksonville screw up their pick. Im off Thursday’s so that didn’t affect me, but i took a vacation on Friday to watch it. I actually ended up going to Game 5 of the Coyotes/Red Wings series instead to boycott and because i love hockey. i know the rating were good, but they wont last. The first year is a novelty. Just go back to they way they were last year. Saturday 3pm EST start and the rest on Sunday. That’s when the real NFL draftnicks want it. So they can ignore their wifes all weekend. This new way prevents that. What are they supposed to do on Sunday? Go to the Home Depot? Bed Bath and Beyond? I dont know if they’ll have enough time. (Points to anyone who gets that movie refrecnce.)

1)St. Louis Rams–Sam Bradford/QB/Oklahoma–I’m not buying the fact that they are talking about trading out of the top pick. Nobody wants to pay a college kid top overall pick money, so having the 1st overall pick is more of a curse then a joy. Worst kept secret in football as they take Bradford.

2)Detroit Lions–Ndamukong Suh/DT/Nebraska–Lions helped their D-Line this offseason and they make it better with this pick. Suh might make them forget about drafting Joey Harrington, Charles Rodgers, Roy Williams, Ernie Sims, Gosder Cherilus…i could go on for days people.

3)Tampa Bay Buccaneers–Gerald McCoy/DT/Oklahoma–The Bucs cant really lose hear. They’re going to get either Suh or McCoy. McCoy actually fits their scheme better. He’s a better pass rush prospect than Suh.

4)Washington Redskins–Russell Okung/OT/Oklahoma State–There are rumblings that the Skins may take Oklahoma tackle Trent Williams. If that happens, it would be the first time 3 college players from the same school were drafted in the first 4 picks. Also, we would have to send in the National Guard to get Justin out of DC because it will turn into a war zone.

5)Kansas City Chiefs–Eric Berry/S/Tennessee–This is a spot where the Chiefs could go anywhere. They need help all over the place which is amazing because you would think that would mean they would have the top pick. How bad does that make the 4 teams ahead of them? Anyway, they take one of the 4 best prospects at #5.

6)Seattle Seahawks–Bryan Bulaga/OT/Iowa–The Seahawks have 2 first rounders and they should go O-Line with one of them. I see them taking Bulaga here over Trent Williams cus he’s more NFL ready.

7)Cleveland Browns–Derrick Morgan/DE/Georgia Tech–Like the chiefs, Cleveland can go anywhere with this one, but unlike KC, we know they will probably stay on the defensive side. This team needs a pass rush and Morgan is the best outside rusher in the draft.

8 )Oakland Raiders–Trent Williams/OT/Oklahoma–Al Davis gets a guy to protect whichever QB the Raiders decide to throw out there. He also had the fastest 40 among offensive lineman at the combine…and…you know…Davis loves fast guys.

9)Buffalo Bills–C.J. Spiller/RB/Clems0n–There was alot of buzz that Notre Dame QB Jimmy Clausen would end up here, but i just dont see it. this team isnt even interested in trading for Ben Roethlisberger. They are, however, shopping Marshawn Lynch. He may be traded before they make this pick. If they do, Spiller is the guy.

10)Jacksonville Jaguars–Rolando McClain/LB/Alabama–Jags coach Jack Del Rio’s job is on the line. He needs to improve that defense and drafting a guy that plays like he did is a good start.

11)Denver Broncos(from Chicago)–Dez Bryant/WR/Oklahoma State–I dont buy all the talk that the Broncos wont draft this guy because they just traded away Brandon Marshall, who essentially is the same player and same attitude. They need an offensive weapon.

12)Miami Dolphins–Dan Williams/DT/Tennessee–Miami need a big guy to play the middle of that 3-4 defense. Williams is the best nose tackle prospect in the draft.

13)San Francisco 49ers–Anthony Davis/OT/Rutgers–They could take Maryland’s Bruce Campbell here, but i spoke to Justin and he loves Campbell, so i know his favorite team wont take him just to spite Justin.

14)Seattle Seahawks(from Denver)–Jason Pierre-Paul/DE/South Florida–Seattle was hoping Spiller would fall. Instead they draft a guy to replace recently retired Patrick Kerney’s pass rush….or lack there of.

15)New York Giants–Sean Witherspoon/LB/Missouri–I love this guy. He might be one of my favorite players in this draft. If McClain doesnt fall, i think the G-Men reach a bit and take him. They need a linebacker that badly.

16)Tennessee Titans–Brandon Graham/LB/Michigan–It doesnt seem like he would fit in a 4-3 defense, but Jeff Fisher knows what he’s doing and Graham can flat out play the game.

17)San Francisco 49ers(from Carolina)–Jimmy Clausen/QB/Notre Dame–I know Justin and I probably just became whatever the opposite of best friends is, but i like the Niners take him with one of their two picks. Otherwise, they may trade down to cellect more picks. For my sake, i hope the later happens.

18)Pittsburgh Steelers–Maurkice Pouncey/OG/Florida–Brett’s Steelers take one of the more underrated O-Line prospects to help protect Roethlisberger. Now, if only Pouncey could protect Big Ben off the field. Ba-zinga!

19)Atlanta Falcons–Jerry Hughes/LB/TCU–They need help on defense and i saw some other guy have Hughes being picked here, so i said, “Why not?”

20)Houston Texans–Ryan Matthews/RB/Fresno State–They have Steve Slaten, but this is a 2-back league now and Matthews may be the best pure runner in the entire draft.

21)Cincinnati Bengals–Germaine Gresham/TE/Oklahoma–The Bengals add a great recieving threat at the TE position. Carson Palmer is happy. And a happy Quarterback is always a good thing.

22)New England Patriots–Sergio Kindle/LB/Texas–Perfect outside backer for the Patriots 3-4 scheme. He’s a ferocious edge rusher, which is something most teams want, but not all of them have.

23)Green Bay Packers–Charles Brown/OT/USC–Every mock draft i see has the Packers taking an offensive lineman. Its probably because Aaron Rodgers was sacked like 1,000 times last season. Maybe you should protect your star QB…or tell him to get rid of the ball quicker.

24)Philadelphia Eagles–Earl Thomas/S/Texas–Dont be surprised if the Eagles trade up to get this guy. He has top 10 talent but may fall because he doesnt fill a need for many other teams.

25)Baltimore Ravens–Demaryius Thomas/WR/Georgia Tech–The Ravens have tried and tried to draft a guy to be a #1 receiver. Well…they traded for Anquan Boldin back in March to solve that problem, but it would hurt to grab a big, speedy guy to help keep double teams off of Q.

26)Arizona Cardinals–Brian Price/DT/UCLA–He’s fallen on alot of draft boards, but the guy is a straight beast. Since all the guys the Cards want are already off the board, Price will be a solid choice to help out a rebuilding defense.

27)Dallas Cowboys–Roger Saffold/OL/Indiana–The Cowboys released Flozell Adams from a line that couldnt protect Tony Romo in the playoffs. Jerry Jones is the type of guy who doesnt think things through, so they reach and take a guy like Saffold who can play guard or tackle.

28)San Diego Chargers–Kareem Jackson/CB/Alabama–The Chargers need to replace Antonio Cromartie. Jackson plays the same position and has far less paternity suits, so he’ll be a welcome choice.

29)New York Jets–Jared Odrick/DT/Penn State–The Jets dont have many holes to fill, so they may trade out to get more picks. If they stay, they will look to upgrade an aging defensive line.

30)Minnesota Vikings–Mike Iupati/OG/Idaho–I was going to go cornerback, but they signed Lito Sheppard yesterday. I honestly dont know what they will do. The best bet is that they trade out with someone who wants Colt McCoy or Tim Tebow. If they stay, they get a bulldozer to hopefully replace Anthony Herrara. (Side note…in Mel Kiper Jr’s final mock, he has them taking Tebow. If that happens, it was nice knowing all of you.)

31)Indianapolis Colts–Bruce Campbell/OT/Maryland–The Colts need an offensive line upgrade. Campbell was a combine workout warrior. Peyton should be able to make a player out of him because lets face it, he’s really calling the shots there.

32)New Orleans Saints–Daryl Washington/LB/TCU–Washington will make it 2 TCU linebackers taken in the 1st round. Its amazing that the same team that cost me money in the Fiesta Bowl last year could have 2 guys from the same position being taken in the top 32. Bastards.

Why? Because of Hurricane Katrina? Under that logic, the Yankees deserved the 2001 World Series title or the Giants deserved the 1989 title (i know Oakland won that year and they are in the same area, but im making a point). And those other instances, the natural disaster happened the same time as the series, not 5 years later. I’m not trying to be insensitive, but that reason is a tad ridiculous.

And as for the fans…why do they deserve it? Someone at work told me its because, “they suffered so much and even ended Tampa Bay’s 26 game losing streak”. Cry me a f*cking river. At least with that, you know what to expect from your team every year. Your team doesnt get your hopes up and then the moment you think you might actually have a chance to win, God come by and kicks you square in the nut sack.

Try going 0-4 in Super Bowls. Gary Anderson, “The Hail Mary”, Darrin Nelson, and now you can add Favre V 3.0 to the list. Now if there is a franchise that deserves it, it my Vikes. We are the Chicago Cubs of the NFL. But one thing you’ll never see from us is this:

Now theres a great fan base. They are just like most others. Bags on their heads when they go 2-14 and then have the balls to call themselves great when they go to the Super Bowl because they suffered. You didnt suffer. You gave up on your team. You were embarassed to call yourself a fan. You’re a disgrace.

The worst part. You really dont deserve it because you were not the better team. You were the luckier one. A coin flip, a terrible PI call, and a non Roughing the Passer call that would have negated an interception were the cause of your success. Did Brett Favre play a roll in that too. Yes he did. But i saw the pics of his ankle and i got to tell you, give me him over a confused looking Brees anyday of the week and twice on Sunday.

Am i bitter? You bet your ass i am. And i have every right to be. I have the right to complain about it for the rest of my life. You would too. Anybody who says they wouldnt isnt a true sports fan.

All that said…here’s my Super Bowl prediction: CBS will lose 10 ratings points because Brett Favre isnt playing in it.

The NFL tried way too hard. The starters were introduced as if it were Wrestlemania or something…

…the players dont even try despite an extra $20, 000 to the players on the winning team, and half the guys that were there didnt even get voted in in the first place.

You’re telling me Yeremiah Bell, Quentin Mikell, Johny Knox and Jon Condo are Pro Bowlers? I dont even want those guys on my favorite team. Most of these guys will get to call themselves All-Stars, but its a lie. You’re only there because 4 guys ahead of you are hurt/dont want to play/are in the Super Bowl. Oh…and you dont know who Jon Condo is? Yeah…i didnt either. I had to look him up, but he was out there. Give me a f*cking break.

It was backyard football. The defensive lineman looked like they were counting 10 Mississippi before they did anything. That’s not football. After having great games they week before and great action the following week, this is a mockery of what the NFL is supposed to be. I want to see Jaren Allen rush the passer, not takes to steps and stop. I want to see Chris Johnson make guys miss, not have defenders half-ass try to tackle him.

I now see why Bryant McKinnie went clubbing all week instead of going to practice for this. He knew this game was going to suck.

Today it was announced that Blake Griffin, the #1 overall pick in this past years NBA draft will have season ending surgery to repair what was supposed to be an already repaired knee. That’s two of the past three #1 overall picks that didnt even play a game the season they were drafted. I know things happen, but thats ridiculous.

Psssssst….John Wall…stay as far away from next years draft as possible because your next.

Lets go back and take a look at the past ten #1 overall picks and show its not just injuries you have to worry about Mr. Wall. I’m going to throw out 2003 (LeBron James) and 2004 (Dwight Howard) …because…well if you dont know why, then just stop reading.

2000-Kenyon Martin: This guy had a boatload of talent and a head full of crap. After 10 years, he still doesnt display the consitancy that you need from a top pick. He was an All-Star though…once.

2001-Kwame Brown: Hahahahahahaha

2002-Yao Ming: “But Brandon, he’s a 7-time All-Star!” F*ck that. The only reason he was voted in all the time is because China stuffed the ballot box. He’s f*cking 7′6. Do you know how many people are that tall? Not many. He should have won 2 MVP’s and at least taken his team to the finals by now. But the past 4 years, the guy cant stay on the floor.

2005-Andrew Bogut: Decent, but everytime i hear his name, the only thing i think off is the “Boom Goes the Dynamite” kid pronouncing his name wrong which isnt what you want to be remembered for.

2006-Andrea Bargnani: He has improved gradually over the past few years, but hasnt sniffed an All-Star game or the playoffs, so i cant give him any slack.

2007-Greg Oden: He missed his entire rookie season because he got hurt sitting on a couch. He also is out all of this season…i can only assume the couch came back to finish the job.

2008-Derrick Rose: He won rookie of the year and had a great playoff series against the Celtics last year. But he also screwed his college program over and he just sounds like a complete idiot. (Sorry Chris…it had to be said)

2009-Blake Griffin: Done for 2009 season.

Seriously John. I love watching you play and i really dont even care much for Kentucky. Stay another year. Maybe two. I dont want you to end up like these other guys. Sure…by my math, you have a 25% (yes…im including half of Derrick Rose) chance of being a stud. But you also have a 75% chance of being attacked by an imanimate object or being Kwame Brown.

After we were in Vegas for a few days and i got sick presumably from all the diseases that can be found in Sin City, i finally got healthy today. I decided i was going to to a mass blog about everything we missed the last week, then this happened.

Lane Kiffin has been hired as the next head coach at Southern Californina.

Yup, that Lane Kiffin and that USC.

WTF IS GOING ON AROUND HERE!!!!!

The same guy who paraded his hot wife/baby machine at his introductory press conference to become Tennessee’s head coach just 13 months ago is taking the head job at the school he spurned 3 years ago to become the Oakland Raiders top man.

Southern Cal must have got desperate when all their other candidates (Jack Del Rio, Jeff Fisher, Mike Riley) publicly turned down the job. Why else can you explain this? As for Kiffin. What a douchbag. He had the Vols nation pumped for what they had to look forward to after a 7-5 season and he diches them faster than an annoying family member at a wedding. He must have been distrought that he couldnt go at it with Urban Meyer anymore and said f*ck this noise, im going west.

I hope USC knows what their getting. A pompus ass with an attractive wife and not so good head coaching record. I bet he goes 6-6 in first year and has to play Tennessee in a bowl game in which the Vols hang 60 on him for what he did. Fight On…you jackass.