http://www.yardbarker.com/users/SportzAssassin Recent articles by SportzAssassin en-us Roger Goodell said that if an expansion team was placed in Los Angeles, the NFL would then add a 34th team. That being said, that is a huge IF. I would most likely bet on the Chargers, Rams or Jaguars moving to the new stadium in Los Angeles than an expansion team. Goodell doesn't want that to happen, but it very well could.So if there is a 34th team ... who should get it? 1-TORONTO: This is an interesting choice, but I think they would be a frontrunner. They have a stadium (albeit an older one) and a nice fanbase. Obviously, it would open up the entire Canadian market for the NFL ... including some Canadian television rights fees ... but it would also stomp all over the CFL. The Buffalo Bills have been placing a home game there for the last few years so they've had the NFL in their city. Toronto is huge so there shouldn't be much trouble building a fan base and there would be natural geographical rivalries with Detroit, Cleveland and, of course, Buffalo.Unlike other sports, Toronto won't have trouble attracting talent. While the taxes and Canadian lifestyle might scare off NBA and MLB players from the Raptors and Blue Jays, it won't be as big a deal in the NFL. Green Bay is highly successful for crying out loud. 2-PORTLAND: Portland is a great sports town and Oregon is a great sports state. I don't think losing the Portland market would hurt any of the Seattle Seahawks plans (though could Paul Allen figure into anything here?). Seattle is kind of on an NFL island so Portland would be a nice partner and and obvious rival. Nike has a huge presence there so there is money.3-LOS ANGELES: What? Could Los Angeles actually have two expansion teams? That's the word but I don't see it happening. It will be hard enough to build one team from the ground up in the area, let alone two. It would also damage the Chargers who are already struggling being the only team in SoCal over the last 15 years. If anything, the Chargers could eventually move to be a co-tenant with the expansion team in LA (and don't think that little loophole won't be in any expansion franchise agreement). Of course, if the Chargers were serious about a move up the coast, the NFL wouldn't even bother expanding in the first place.4-OKLAHOMA CITY: OKC has burst onto the pro sports scene with their support of the "borrowed" Hornets several years back and their support for the current Thunder. Oklahoma City reminds me a lot of Charlotte in the late 1980s to early 1990s. An NBA team showed the country what the city has for sports teams and the NFL cashed in on it. I can see the same thing here. Good football state who wouldn't mind dumping the Cowboys for their own squad. 5-MEXICO CITY: This would be a huge curveball that could really pay off. Mexico City has a huge metro area and would easily support an NFL team. But that is asking a lot of players to go there on purpose. I know that it is sort of in the same boat as Toronto but the Mexican culture is a much bigger shock to American players than the Canadian one. Still, you cannot tell me that this hasn't crossed Goodell's mind.6-SAN ANTONIO: They are always in relocation discussions, but I just can't see the NFL heading here. While there are plenty of football fans to go around in Texas, that would mean people would have to quit the Cowboys or Texans. The Alamodome is serviceable but I'm not sure if it is a true NFL quality stadium. 7-LAS VEGAS: Doubtful, but not out of the question. If any league could figure a way to make pro sports work in Sin City, it would be the NFL. But it could turn into a nightmare since football is bet on more than any other sport. I think this is a headache Goodell doesn't want. Fri, 03 Feb 2012 21:05:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/where_should_34th_nfl_team_go/9756394 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/where_should_34th_nfl_team_go/9756394 If NFL adds team who should get it? http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/where_should_34th_nfl_team_go/9756394 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/b/b/bb776de3df209a7dc7648fcb74a82be7282fa992/mini/nfl.jpg #46-AFC LOVES FEBRUARY: The Super Bowl will be held on February 5th. Since the first February Super Bowl in 2002, the AFC is 6-3 in those games held in the calendar's shortest month ... though the NFC has won the last two:Super Bowl XXXVI: Patriots beat Rams on February 3, 2002Super Bowl XXXVIII: Patriots beat Panthers on February 1, 2004Super Bowl XXXIX: Patriots beat Eagles on February 6, 2005Super Bowl XL: Steelers beat Seahawks on February 5, 2006Super Bowl XLI: Colts beat Bears on February 4, 2007Super Bowl XLII: Giants beat Patriots on February 3, 2008Super Bowl XLIII: Steelers beat Cardinals on February 1, 2009Super Bowl XLIV: Saints beat Colts on February 7, 2010Super Bowl XLV: Packers beat Steelers on February 6, 2011#45-SCORE EARLY AND OFTEN: The team who scores first in a Super Bowl is 29-16. However, the team who has scored first has lost six of the last ten Super Bowls.*Teams who score at least 30 points are 23-1.*Teams that score the first TD are 32-13.*Teams leading at the half are 34-9 (there have been two ties)#44-NICE TO SEE YOU AGAIN, TOM: Tom Brady will be making his 5th start in a Super Bowl, tying him with John Elway for most all time. Brady is 3-1 in his previous trips (beat the Rams, Panthers and Eagles, lost to the Giants). Elway was 2-3 in his appearances.After those two, four men are tied with four starts. Joe Montana and Terry Bradshaw won all of their starts. Jim Kelly lost all four of his. Roger Stauback split his four.If Brady wins Super Bowl XLVI, he will join Montana and Bradshaw for most Super Bowl wins by a starting QB.#43-SUPER BOWL REMATCH: The Giants and Patriots will meet again in the Super Bowl. Who could forget their matchup in Super Bowl XLII?This isn't the first Super Bowl rematch.The Steelers and Cowboys have met for three Super Bowls. Redskins-Dolphins, Cowboys-Bills, and 49ers-Bengals all have met twice.#42-LET'S GO TO INDY: Super Bowl XLVI will be played in Indianapolis, Indiana for the first time. This will be the 4th Super Bowl played in a cold-weather city. Pontiac, Michigan, Minneapolis, Minnesota and Detroit, Michigan have all hosted exactly one Super Bowl. Those four Super Bowls are the only ones that have been held in the midwest.#41-SUPER BOWL ON NBC: This will be the 17th time NBC will televise the Super Bowl, tying CBS for most by a network. Al Michaels and Cris Collinsworth will make the call. Collinsworth, who played in Super Bowls XVI and XXIII, will be making his first call. Michaels will be making his 8th call ... his 2nd with NBC (the others were with ABC).The Giants will join the Broncos as the only teams to play in Super Bowls televised by all four major networks.#40-COLTS KNOW BOTH SIDES OF THE COIN: The Indianapolis Colts, the host team of the Super Bowl, is the only franchise to play in a Super Bowl as an AFC and NFC team. Well, they never were an "NFC" team, but the Colts played in Super Bowl III as the NFL representative against the AFL Champ Jets. Two years later, the Colts won Super Bowl V as a member of the AFC.When the NFL merged with the AFL in 1970, the NFL's Colts, Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns moved to the American side of things. The Steelers have won six Super Bowls (and been to another one) but all were as the AFC champ. Cleveland is still waiting for their first appearance.#39-TOP SEEDS NOT MEETING AGAIN: Believe it or not, but Super Bowl XLIV was the first time that the No. 1 seed in the NFC and AFC met in the Super Bowl since 1993. In each year since the Bills and Cowboys met in '93, one of the top seeds fell before getting to the big game. This year, only hte AFC's top seed, the Patriots, made it to the Big Game. The NFC's top team, the Packers, lost in the divisional round. For a look at what the top seeds did during the drought, check out The Tygrrrr Express.#38-DIVISION ALL IN: The only divisions that don't have all of their members with appearances in a Super Bowl are the AFC North (Browns), AFC South (Titans, Jaguars) and NFC North (Lions).No division has all their members with Super Bowl championships. The NFC East (Eagles didn't win), AFC West (Chargers) and AFC East (Bills) have seen three of their four members win a title. The NFC East is the only division to have each of their members in multiple Super Bowls. The Cowboys have been to eight, the Redskins have been to five, the Giants have been to four and the Eagles have been to two.The odd thing is that each team in the NFC South has been exactly once to the Super Bowl. The Panthers and Falcons lost their only time there, while the Bucs and Saints won in their only appearances.#37-NFC EAST TOPS THEM ALL: The NFC East easily has the most Super Bowl champions than any other division. The 11 titles won bests the AFC North for the top honors.The NFC East dominated from 1986-1995. In that span, the Giants ('86, '90), Redskins ('87, '91) and Cowboys ('92, '93, '95) went to and won 7 of 10 Super Bowls during that decade. The only other Super Bowl champ was San Francisco ('88, '89, '94).This year the two representatives in the Super Bowl represent the two divisions who get the Super Bowl the most.Here's a rundown of the divisions:11-NFC EAST (Cowboys-5, Redskins-3, Giants-3)7-AFC NORTH (Steelers-6, Ravens-1)6-NFC WEST (Niners-5, Rams-1)6-AFC EAST (Patriots-3, Dolphins-2, Jets-1)6-AFC WEST (Raiders-3, Broncos-2, Chiefs-1)5-NFC NORTH (Packers-4, Bears-1)2-AFC SOUTH (Colts-2)2-NFC SOUTH (Buccaneers-1, Saints-1)As for Super Bowl appearances, the NFC East wins this title again:20-NFC EAST (Cowboys-8, Redskins-5, Giants-5, Eagles-2)17-AFC EAST (Patriots-7, Dolphins-5, Bills-4, Jets-1)14-AFC WEST (Broncos-6, Raiders-5, Chiefs-2, Chargers-1)11-NFC NORTH (Packers-5, Vikings-4, Bears-2)11-AFC NORTH (Steelers-8, Bengals-2, Ravens-1)10-NFC WEST (Niners-5, Rams-3, Seahawks-1, Cardinals-1)5-AFC SOUTH (Colts-4, Titans-1)4-NFC SOUTH (Panthers-1, Bucs-1, Falcons-1, Saints-1)#36-THERE IS AN EXTRA VINCE LOMBARDI TROPHY OUT THERE: Excuse this one taken from my FanHouse post but it is rather interesting:There have been 43 Super Bowls to date ... yet there are 44 Vince Lombardi Trophies (given to the Super Bowl winning team) out and about. How is that?Well, that little ditty comes to light after the recent passing of Rams owner Georgia Frontiere. Frontiere's husband, former-Colts and Rams owner Carroll Rosenbloom, is the reason behind the story:However, when Colts owner Carroll Rosenbloom, Frontiere's late husband, traded the Colts for the Rams in a franchise swap in 1972, he decided he wanted to keep the Lombardi Trophy the Colts won in Super Bowl V. When Super Bowl VII took place in Los Angeles, Rosenbloom told the Colts he was going to put on a display of Super Bowl trophies and asked them to bring it to the West Coast. They did. There was no display, and Rosenbloom never returned the trophy. After the Colts complained to the league office, former NFL Commissioner Pete Rozelle had a duplicate made for the Colts, which remains in Baltimore (it was originally shipped to Indianapolis when the team moved but a deal was struck and it was returned to Maryland). The original Super Bowl V trophy? It presumably was in Frontiere's possession and now belongs to her heirs.So, there are two Vince Lombardi trophies awarded for Super Bowl V ... yet neither are with the franchise that won it. The original was in St. Louis with Frontiere with the other in Baltimore, the Colts old digs. Meanwhile, Indianapolis can only show off the trophy they won two years ago.#35-NOT A GIANT WINNER: The Giants join the 1979 Los Angeles Rams and 2008 Arizona Cardinals as the only teams to reach the Super Bowl with less than 10 regular season wins. The Giants finished 9-7 for the season and needed a win over the Cowboys in the finale to even qualify for the postseason. Both the Rams and Cardinals lost to the Steelers in the Super Bowl.#34-FOUR DECADES OF SUPER BOWLS: If the Patriots lose this Super Bowl, they will be the first team to lose Super Bowls in four different decades. The Pats lost in 1980s to the Bears, 1990s to the Packers and 2000s to the Giants. Only the Bills, Vikings and Broncos have lost 4 Super Bowls.That would mean the Giants would be the first team to win Super Bowls in four decades. They beat the Broncos in the 1980s, Bills in the 1990s and Patriots in the 2000s.#33-NOT A FAIR SCORE: The Giants are the first team in history to get to the Super Bowl despite being outscored during the regular season. The G-men were outscored 400-396 during the season.#32-ROAD WARRIORS: The Giants are also on a nice winning streak. They currently have won six straight games away from home. That streak began in 2007 at Tampa's Raymond James Stadium and includes their victory over the Pats in Super Bowl XLII. This postseason, the Giants won at Green Bay and at San Francisco to get to SB46.The Giants are also only the 2nd team to beat three teams with better records than them in the postseason to reach the Super Bowl.#31-GIANTS STOP NFC'S NEWBIE STREAK: The Giants just ended a streak of 10 consecutive different NFC Champions. Yes, the last 10 seasons have seen 10 different NFC Champions. Last year, the Packers joined the Saints, Cardinals, Giants, Bears, Seahawks, Eagles, Panthers, Buccaneers and Rams as NFC champs in the last decade. In that time, only the Vikings, Lions, Redskins, Falcons, Niners and Cowboys haven't been to the big show. That's a bit odd since in the span from 1987-1995, the Cowboys, Redskins and Niners went to and won 8 of the 9 Super Bowls#30-TOM BRADY IS BAAAAACK: 18 quarterbacks have started multiple Super Bowls. This will be Tom Brady's fifth Super Bowl appearance. John Elway leads the pack with 5 Super Bowls, while Terry Bradshaw, Tom Brady, Joe Montana, Jim Kelly and Roger Staubach have all started four. Only Craig Morton and Kurt Warner have started Super Bowls for two different teams.#29-FUTURE SUPER BOWL SITES ARE PRETTY INTERESTING: No team has ever played a Super Bowl in their home stadium -- we know this after last year's chirping from Dallas about that in the offseason and Peyton Manning's injury keeping his Colts away from this game in Indy. It really is remarkable that this has never happened. Well, it could happen soon.New Orleans (XLVII), New York (XLVIII) and Phoenix (XLIX) will be hosting games soon. The Saints won a Super Bowl a couple years back and was one of the hottest teams entering this postseason. New York's Giants are in this year's Super Bowl while the Jets were in the last two AFC title games. Arizona could be formindable by the time their Super Bowl comes back around.#28-SUPER BOWL "VOICE": In a rather odd bit of programming, NBC will air the singing competition "The Voice" after the Super Bowl. Last year, FOX broadcasted Glee after the Super Bowl.The trend recently is for the network broadcasting the Super Bowl loves breaking in new shows or extended shows following the game. CBS debuted "Undercover Boss" after Super Bowl XLIV. It joined Extreme (ABC-1995), Homicide (NBC-'93), Davis Rules (ABC-'91), Grand Slam (CBS-'90), The Wonders Years (ABC-'88), Hard Copy (CBS-'87), The Last Precinct (NBC-'86), MacGruder and Loud (ABC-'85), Airwolf (CBS-'84), The A-Team (NBC-'83) and Brothers and Sisters (NBC-'79) as shows who debuted after the Super Bowl.Some other big-time heavyweights have also appeared right after the game. Lassie, All in the Family, 60 Minutes, CHiPs, Archie Bunker's Place, Friends, The X-Files, The Simpsons, Survivor, Grey's Anatomy, House and The Office all have been post-Super Bowl shows.#27-BEEN THERE, DONE THAT: This will be the second consecutive Super Bowl between teams with at least 3 Super Bowl titles. Before last year, it hadn't happened since Super Bowl XXX. Last year, the Packers (3 titles entering the game) faced off with the Steelers (six). In Super Bowl XXX, the Steelers (then a 4-time champion) battled the Cowboys (also a 4-time champ at the time).It's also just the fifth Super Bowl between teams with multiple Super Bowl victories. The only other time it has happened was last year's Packers-Steelers (XLV), the Giants-Patriots (XLII) Super Bowl a couple of years ago and the Steelers-Cowboys (XXX and XIII).#26-SUPER BOWL CONSUMPION: Some nice stats for you:8 million: Total pounds of popcorn consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.28 million: Pounds of potato chips consumed.53.5 million: Pounds of avocados consumed.222,792: Number of football fields worth of farmland to grow all that corn, potatoes, and avocados.11.8: Depth, in feet, of guacamole consumed if it were spread across the football field.293,000: Number of miles of potato chips, laid end to end, consumed during the game.1 billion: Number of chicken wings consumed on Super Bowl Sunday.325.5 million: Gallons of beer drank by Americans that day.493: Number of Olympic-sized swimming pools that could be filled with all that beer.20%: Increase in anti-acid sales the Mo Mon, 30 Jan 2012 20:44:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/46_stops_to_super_bowl_xlvi/9681430 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/46_stops_to_super_bowl_xlvi/9681430 Fun facts: 46 stops to Super Bowl XLVI http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/46_stops_to_super_bowl_xlvi/9681430 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/4/a/4a21c676902d2b1acb94b50203a98c786ec4c9df/mini/YB-SB42.jpg Navy, one of the three service academies, is reportedly moving their football program to the Big East conference in 2015. Due to scheduling, bowl and television contracts, the move is delayed for several years.As it stands right now, the Big East will have 11 football schools and would look like this:Boise StateCentral FloridaCincinnatiHoustonLouisvilleNavyRutgersSan Diego StateSMUSouth FloridaUConnRemember that Pittsburgh and Syracuse will leave to join the ACC in 2013 while West Virginia will leave for the Big 12. TCU, who was to join the Big East in 2012, will instead move to the Big 12 as well. The Big East added Boise State and SD State for football only and SMU, Houston and UCF for all sports.Of course, the Big East isn't done and will be looking to add a 12th football member so they can hold a conference championship game. That is, however, if no other members are poached. UConn and Rutgers have shown interest in the ACC; Louisville could be a target of the Big 12.If a 12th member comes, the Big East could look like this:EAST: Central Florida, Navy, Rutgers, South Florida, UConn, 12th teamWEST: Boise State, Cincinnati, Houston, Louisville, San Diego St, SMU Mon, 23 Jan 2012 22:13:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/report_navy_to_join_big_east/9544091 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/report_navy_to_join_big_east/9544091 Report: Navy to join Big East http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/report_navy_to_join_big_east/9544091 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/7/271d1c69f94283976586d185e2c8039b7b38b733/mini/YB-Navy.jpg One thing that keeps getting pointed out is that Super Bowl XLVI is a revenge game for Tom Brady and the New England Patriots. Four years ago, the Giants beat the Patriots in a thrilling Super Bowl which ended the Pats shot at an 19-0 season.They meet again with a championship on the line. However, this is far from an actual revenge game.People throw "revenge" around too lightly in sports. If the Miami Heat play the Dallas Mavericks in the regular season, they call it "revenge". Um, no. It isn't revenge. It isn't revenge when the first team that won got the higher stakes.Same thing goes here. Super Bowl XLVI isn't a revenge game. Sure, the Pats would all love to beat the Giants -- I mean a championship is at stake, ya know. Sure, New England would love to beat New York for it all (though beating the San Francisco 49ers would've felt just as good). But exacting revenge? No.First of all, the Giants win four years ago is much bigger than anything that happens on February 5th. This year, there is no undefeated season. There is no history involved in this game like the last one. I mean, if the Patriots won the last Super Bowl, they would have been only the second undefeated team in NFL history and the first to win 19 games. This time, a win would mean they beat a 9-7 team who needed a win in the final game of the regular season to get into the postseason for the title. Not really the same.Also, a loss for the Giants wouldn't really destroy them the way the Patriots loss in 2008 did to them. New York wasn't supposed to be there. Eli Manning has won his title and is pretty much a made man in Gotham. A win for the Giants would just cement their legacies with the franchise (Tom Coughlin, a two-time Super Bowl winner?) and Eli would have something on big brother Peyton.This isn't to belittle the game at all. A title is a title is a title. But "revenge" isn't a term warranted here. Heck, most of the guys on both teams didn't play in Super Bowl XLII. No 1972 Dolphins will be popping champagne after this one. Mon, 23 Jan 2012 19:50:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/super_bowl_xlvi_is_not_a_revenge_game/9542177 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/super_bowl_xlvi_is_not_a_revenge_game/9542177 Super Bowl XLVI is not a revenge game http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/super_bowl_xlvi_is_not_a_revenge_game/9542177 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/d/8/d8ba876c04e0465cd56caa77af505e07975b5037/mini/YB-SB42.jpg Anyone who loves to dig at the Spurs usually points out that their 1999 NBA Championship should come with an asterisk. After all, a labor dispute shaved the season down to 50 games, it was the season after Michael Jordan's last game with the Bulls and the Spurs met 8th-seeded New York in the Finals.The championship does count, but the season is usually forgotten among the lore of other seasons. No one mentions anything about San Antonio's 2003, 2005 or 2007 titles being tainted in any way.The 66-game season that we are currently going through is a big jump from the 50 games on '99 so there may not be as much of a chatter about this season not having the worth of other ones. Sure, there is still 16 games missing on each team's sked and the season hasn't found any rhythm yet but there should be a better sample set once we get to the postseason.But what will we see when we get there? These teams are cramming a ton of games in a very short amount of time. Guys who are carrying their teams right now (read: Kobe Bryant) could completely run out of gas by the time April arrives. Sure, everyone gets that three-games-in-a-row stretch which is hell, but it is all of those 4-games-in-5-nights that are really putting wear on teams and players.I am a Laker fan, so let's use them as an example.They opened the season ... OPENED THE SEASON ... with three games in three nights. With minimal training camp and conditioning, they had to open up the season with three straight games (which included them in LA, then Sacramento, then LA again). One day off and then another game.From December 25th to January 14th ... a span of 21 days ... the Lakers played 14 games. The Lakers will play 17 games in January alone (add that last week of December, and the Lakers will have played 22 games in 5 1/2 weeks). They will play 17 again in March. Believe me, I'm not saying the Lakers are the only ones with it tough. I'm just using them because they are my team.NOTE: My favorite stretch of the Lakers season is in April. The Lakers will play the Spurs THREE TIMES in a 10 day stretch.The Nets had to start the season with 6 games in 8 days and FOUR of them on the road. The Thunder's 14 games featured 12 against teams who were playoff teams last year (look at their record and you can be even more impressed). The Bucks opened the season with 12 of 18 on the road. The Bobcats are in the middle of playing 11 games in 15 days. The Sacramento Kings will enter the All Star Break playing 21 games on the road and just 11 at home. How about the Hawks who had to play the Bulls and Heat TWICE EACH in a five day stretch??? (HT: SB Nation for the info).It goes on and on and everyone faces stiff challenges. So it is fair in that sense. But is it really fair when pretty much 16 teams will enter the playoffs as shells of themselves? I mean, the NBA season has always been a grind and a survival of the fittest but this season takes it up quite a notch.Whomever ends up winning the title will certainly deserve it even if not everyone gives them their due.Even if it is the Miami Heat. Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:08:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/2012_the_nba_season_time_will_forget/9494921 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/2012_the_nba_season_time_will_forget/9494921 2012 - The NBA Season Time Will Forget http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/2012_the_nba_season_time_will_forget/9494921 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Brainstorming here. If baseball went back to the 2-division format ... and if the Astros HAVE to be in the American League ... this is how I'd have it shake out. NL EASTAtlanta BravesCincinnati RedsMiami MarlinsNew York MetsPhiladelphia PhilliesPittsburgh PiratesWashington NationalsNL WESTArizona DiamondbacksChicago CubsColorado RockiesLos Angeles DodgersMilwaukee BrewersSan Diego PadresSan Francisco GiantsSt Louis CardinalsAL EASTBaltimore OriolesBoston Red SoxCleveland IndiansDetroit TigersNew York YankeesTampa Bay RaysToronto Blue JaysAL WESTChicago White SoxHouston AstrosKansas City RoyalsLos Angeles AngelsMinnesota TwinsOakland AthleticsSeattle MarinersTexas Rangers Sat, 21 Jan 2012 11:00:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/a_possible_two_division_baseball_format/9494108 http://network.yardbarker.com/mlb/article_external/a_possible_two_division_baseball_format/9494108 A Possible Two-Division Baseball Format http://www.yardbarker.com/mlb/articles/a_possible_two_division_baseball_format/9494108 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The 2011 NFL season is over and we are now in postseason mode. So let's look back at the past year through the eyes of each division. Half of the divisions were won by one game or less. And, since we all know the BCS is the greatest system of determining a champion that has ever been created, let's use it to see who should be each division's champion.1-AFC NORTH: Great season for the AFC North, who saw three of its four teams qualify for the postseason. The Ravens and Steelers each finished 12-4 and are, along with the Patriots, among the favorites to win the AFC. Cincinnati surprised many by going 9-7 and making the playoffs as well and showing that the future is really bright in Cincy. No, it wasn't a great year in Cleveland but the Browns, at one point, were 4-6.Going forward, this division looks like they are stacked. Sure, Baltimore and Pittsburgh's defenses are aging but these are two solid organizations who do well at acquiring talent.BCS CHAMPION: Ravens. Yeah, B-more and Pitt tied atop the division. But Ravens, along with the Packers, were the only NFL teams who went 6-0 in their division and 8-0 at home. 2-NFC SOUTH: Two teams, the Saints and Falcons, made the playoffs and both are riding pretty high. N'Awlins set all kinds of passing records and may be the most fun team to watch. The Carolina Panthers showed that their future is bright with an amazing season by rookie Cam Newton. Steve Smith was Steve Smith again. Tampa was a disaster but this was a 10-win team a year ago.Let's see, a division with Drew Brees, Matt Ryan, Cam Newton and Josh Freeman moving forward? Not too bad.BCS CHAMPION: Saints. New Orleans won the division by three games and outscored opponents by a NFL-best 208 points. They also finished strong, winning their final 8 games. 3-NFC NORTH: The Packers finished 15-1 (loss to the Chiefs?) and are stacking for the next several years. Aaron Rodgers has emerged as one of the best QBs in the league. Matt Stafford is nearly getting to the level in Detroit and the Lions made the playoffs for the first time in over a decade. No fluke here as the Lions were many people's sleeper team at the start of the year. The Chicago Bears were in the running for a playoff bid before injuries, especially to Jay Cutler, did them in. The Vikings season was bad, but they have some pieces in place.Hopefully the Packers and Lions will become the offensive version of the Ravens and Steelers for years to come.BCS CHAMPION: Packers. 15-1 season, undefeated in division and highest point differential. Easy.4-AFC EAST: Weird season. New England sits atop the AFC with a crazy efficient offense but this defense is among the worst in the league. The rest of the division was very average at best. The Bills started 4-1 before losing 9 of their last 11 games. The Dolphins started 0-7 before winning 6 of their last 9 games. The Jets, easily, had an extremely disappointing and streaky season. They had two separate 3-game winning streaks and two separate 3-game losing streaks.Who knows what this division will become? The Pats, despite their defense, still is in elite territory. The Jets are better than what they showed this season. The Bills and Dolphins are very talented but it just doesn't seem all there.BCS CHAMPION: Patriots. Won the division by 5 games, won their last 8 games and, despite a poor defense, dominanted opponents. 5-NFC WEST: This was a joke of a division last season, but they stepped up a bit this year. The 49ers just cruised through and won the division handily, making many to believe the division to be poor. But the Cardinals (8-8) and Seahawks (7-9) found their way in the playoff race down the stretch. Neither team is really set for long term success but it is something to build upon. St. Louis stunk it up and have cleaned house.San Francisco looks like they are back and are a very strong candidate to get to the Super Bowl. The others have a lot of work to do to compete on that level.BCS CHAMPION: 49ers. They won the division by 5 games.6-AFC SOUTH: Just a completely puzzling division. With Peyton Manning out for the season, the Houston Texans were heavy favorites to win the AFC South. They did, but saw their team decimated by injuries. They used four QBs and barely got anything from Andre Johnson this year. Still, they won and showed that they are deeply talented. The Colts were the worst team in the league, will get the No. 1 pick Andrew Luck, but have sort of cleaned house. Who knows if Manning will be back in Indy?The Titans nearly snuck into the playoffs; the Jaguars did alright behind MJD. Both have young QBs to head down the road.7-NFC EAST: This division isn't filled with bad teams, but this is a very disappointing season. The Giants started 6-2 and finished 3-5. Dallas was all over the place but did start 7-4 before losing 4 of their last 5. The Dream Team Eagles might actually be the biggest disappointment in the NFL this season, but did win their last 4 games to break even at 8-8 (and finished a game back of the division title). The Redskins finished in last place again, but did start 3-1 (uh, and finished 2-10).The Cowboys and Eagles are better than this. Heck, the Giants are too. This division should be better next year. The Redskins offense is a mess but, sadly, that was by design. They rebuilt a horrible defense last offseason and plan to do the same to the offense this one. We'll see.BCS CHAMPION: Eagles. They finished stronger than anyone, were 5-1 against the division (no one else finished over .500) and easily had the highest point differential.8-AFC WEST: I'm not a Tim Tebow hater at all, but remember that this division was won by a team whose QB can't pass very well. Seriously look at the division this season. Everyone finished 8-8 except for the 7-9 Chiefs. Everyone was 3-3 within the division. Kyle Orton started the season as the Broncos starter and ended it as the Chiefs starter. The Raiders planted Carson Palmer as the starter and, in 10 games, tossed 16 interceptions.Of the four teams, only the Chargers scored more points than their opponent (+29). Division champion Denver were outscored by 81 points this season.Going forward, this division is in disarray. The Tebow experiment will continue into next year but he has to expand his passing if it is to be successful. Oakland gave up a ton for Palmer so he's in, but with the passing of Al Davis, who knows how the franchise will continue to run. Kansas City doesn't know who their QB is (Orton or Matt Cassell) and they've already fired their coach. San Diego could fire both their coach and/or GM.BCS CHAMPION: Chargers. San Diego was the only team to outscore their opponents this year. They finished 4-1 and crushed Baltimore. No one else deserves it. Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:24:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/recapping_the_nfl_season_division_style/9100669 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/recapping_the_nfl_season_division_style/9100669 Recapping the NFL Season ... Division Style http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/recapping_the_nfl_season_division_style/9100669 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png The 2011 NFL season may not be over yet (as I type this, the Cowboys-Giants are in pregame warmups), but the season has already produced one of the oddest postseasons I can remember. The matchups alone just make you gasp.NFCNo. 1 Packers, No. 2 Niners: We all could've picked Green Bay getting a 1st round bye. But San Francisco? This is the team with Alex Smith starting at QB, right? And we are going to see Candlestick Park in the postseason again? Unreal.No. 6 Lions at No. 3 Saints: Other than the fact that the Lions are in the playoffs for the first time in over a decade, there isn't anything really odd about this matchup. Well, except this could be one of the great playoff shootouts we've seen in a long time. Drew Brees and Matthew Stafford have been lighting it up and there are just so many great receiving threats out there. Probably THE premiere game next weekend.No. 5 Falcons at No. 4 Cowboys/Giants: No matter what, this will be all about the NFC East champion. The one who didn't screw up and actually won the division tonight. No matter what, no one will remember Atlanta is in this. Too bad because the Dirty Birds will probably win.Since both wildcard games are toss-ups, who knows what we'll get in the divisional round. I'd love to see Saints-Niners. I'd love to see a third Lions-Packers game if it was anything like today's tilt. Again, the Cowboys/Giants/Falcons winner against either Green Bay or San Francisco would be stunning. AFCNo. 1 Patriots, No. 2 Ravens: This is absolutely no surprise. These two, along with the Steelers, have been thought of all year long as the best teams in the AFC. Nothing to see here.No. 6 Bengals at No. 3 Texans: Unbelieveable. Houston is making its first playoff appearance ever and we have no idea who the QB will be. Matt Schaub? Nope. Matt Leinart? Nuh-uh. T.J. Yates? Maybe. Jake Delhomme? Texans fans hope not. Oh, and the Bengals are there as well. The same Cincinnati team that blew up its core from the last six years (Carson Palmer, Chad Johnsocinco) are making it with rookies Andy Dalton and A.J. Green. These guys were babies when the Bengals last won a road playoff game ... back when the NFL team in Houston were the Oilers. No. 5 Steelers at No. 4 Broncos: Yes, Tim Tebow is in the playoffs. Yes, the Steelers will be double-digit favorites for this one. Yet the defending AFC Champion franchise that has won more Super Bowls than anyone will take second fiddle to the Broncos. This should get ugly real quick.If the Bengals beat the Texans (like they did a few weeks back), that means we get another Steelers-Ravens game. What a war!!!! I want it. That would mean the young Bengals going against the Patriots, which would be fun. If Houston won, a Texans-Ravens matchup would be a bit boring but a Steelers-Patriots game would be nice. But what if Denver wins and we get Tebowmania at Baltimore? THE QUARTERBACKSLook at this list: Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Drew Brees and Ben Roethlisberger have 7 Super Bowl titles among them (if the Giants make it, then Eli Manning adds an 8th ring). Matt Stafford, Tim Tebow, T.J. Yates, Andy Dalton and Alex Smith have zero playoff appearances among them. Then you have Joe Flacco, Matt Ryan and maybe Tony Romo. Guys who've been there and not gotten it done. Sun, 01 Jan 2012 19:28:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/what_a_weird_nfl_playoffs_we_will_have/9068509 http://network.yardbarker.com/nfl/article_external/what_a_weird_nfl_playoffs_we_will_have/9068509 What a weird NFL Playoffs we will have http://www.yardbarker.com/nfl/articles/what_a_weird_nfl_playoffs_we_will_have/9068509 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/5/7/5707cd19b6e4bc62389a22554064d0026a70611c/mini/alexsmith.jpg A couple weeks ago, "The Brawl" happened in Cincinnati. Crosstown rivals Xavier and Cincinnati met, as they do every year, with the Musketeers blowing out the Bearcats. At the end of the very testy game, a brawl broke out that left both teams with suspended players and bad tastes in their mouth.Cincinnati suspended Yancy Gates, Cheikh Mbodj and Octavius Ellis six games each and Ge'Lawn Guyn for one game. Xavier suspended Dez Wells and Landen Amos for four games, Mark Lyons for two and star guard Tu Holloway for one game.Since then, both schools have gone in different directions.Xavier has now lost three straight games. After "The Brawl", the Muskies were a Top Ten team with an 8-0 record. Since then, they've lost to unranked Oral Roberts, Long Beach State and Hawaii. ORU gave Xavier their worst loss in the Cintas Center (22 points) and Long Beach won by ten. They have one more game (against Southern Illinois) before they are done with all of their suspensions. The first game with their full team will be against Gonzaga.As for Cincinnati, they have won the four games played after the fight. Granted, none were against anyone spectacular (Wright State, Radford, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Chicago State), they have won all of them in great fashion ... winning those games by an average of 33.5 points. We will find out just how good they are after their final non-conference game with Oklahoma and entering Big East play (how is Pitt, Notre Dame, St John's, Georgetown, Villanova and UConn for starters?). While I'm sure this winning streak will end during that run, at least the Bearcats seem to be getting on the same page.Odd, isn't it? I'm sure when the season ends, Xavier will have the better record, higher ranking and more pub than the Bearcats. Sure, the Cats winning streak happened all at home and Xavier has been in Hawaii over the past week. But it is interesting to see how both teams have handled this self-inflicted adversity.Even right after the game, you could kind of see this coming. Cincy head coach Mick Cronin chastised his players and the schools part in this mess. He honestly seemed embarrassed and very vocal that this wouldn't happen again on his watch. Xavier head coach Chris Mack wasn't as vocal and allowed his players ... including star Holloway ... to act a fool in post game interviews. I live in the Cincinnati area and that "gangstas" rant was and still is the biggest talking point after the fight.So as we go into 2012, it will be interesting to see the focus of both these schools which will say a lot about the futures of these two progams .... and not just for the rest of the season. Sat, 24 Dec 2011 12:37:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/the_brawl_has_led_cincy_xavier_in_two_different_directions/8927965 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/the_brawl_has_led_cincy_xavier_in_two_different_directions/8927965 "The Brawl" Has Led Cincy-Xavier In Two Different Directions http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/the_brawl_has_led_cincy_xavier_in_two_different_directions/8927965 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png When we look back at the sports landscape in 2011 ... it won't be a happy thought to most of us. This was a very, very, very bad year for sports as a whole.Don't get me wrong. There were some great moments (Game 6 of the World Series could be the best game ever played in the Fall Classic) and great performances. Congrats to all the champs and all the greatness that happened over the past calendar year.Still, 2011 clearly threw down the shroud that surrounds the dark side of sports.CHILD SEX SCANDALS: This is the most gut-wrenching story to come out of 2011. Yeah, sex scandals have happened before and even the horror of child sexual abuse has been in the news in years past. But the cover-ups and the actions of the "adults in charge" was really shocking. It wasn't age or on-field performance that ended Joe Paterno's career ... it was sitting idle while a member of your staff was raping young boys on campus and under the umbrella of Penn State University. It was the administrators that sat on all this information for years and years without anything happening. It ruined the school and those legacies and ... worst of all ... the lives of all those boys who suffered this abuse while no one cared to help them.We are supposed to trust these people to have the best interests of our kids when we send them to play athletics and attend these schools yet they don't have the moral compass to stop raping boys when they know it exists? It is really scary.Even more scary when you realize that people like Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim will publically come out and chastise you for bravely stepping forward and facing your accuser. Boeheim staunchly defended his coach and friend without once thinking about what these young men who also worked for the school. He retracted it all but the damage is done. No matter how Hall-Of-Famey you may be, we can't trust you to do the right thing.With the court cases and more details waiting to emerge, this story will be promptly in the headlines for the next few years.DAN WHELDON: We were reminded, yet again, the dangers of motor sports haven't disappeared with all the advancements in safety. Early in the Indy Car season ending race in Las Vegas, Indianapolis 500 champion Dan Wheldon died in a fiery 15-car crash. I know we forget just how much our athletes put on the line but something like this haunts you in just how close that line may be from life and death. All for our amusement, endoresments and money.LABOR WARS: 2011 will also be known as the year of Labor Strife. The NFL started it with their lockout which swiftly gripped the nation ... even though we missed no regular season games. With the season almost ending, can you even remember what they were fighting about? What has really changed? Still, it was a summer filled with people is suits jockeying in front of microphones instead of watching workouts, free agency and training camp.In the NBA, it was a lot worse. Not only did it get nasty, but it got downright sickening. From David Stern's doomsday reports all the while he is trying to threaten the players to players signing all over the world as quick cash grabs. When we finally got to a deal (which cost the fans 240 games), no more than an hour later do we see a blockbuster deal (Chris Paul to the Lakers) that was swiftly vetoed by Stern because it looked bad on him. Stern then sent Paul ... who was on the league-owned Hornets ... to the Clippers, one of the historic laughingstocks of the NBA. Paul, by the way, was one of the high profile players very active in labor talks.BCS GOES BS AGAIN: The BCS has gotten completely out of hand. Not only do we have a regular season rematch for the BCS title game, but it features a team that didn't win their conference OR THEIR FREAKIN' DIVISION! Unfair if you are LSU that Alabama could beat you on a neutral field and to be a champions when you beat them on their turf, won their conference and won their division.Whatever, but what about the rest of the BCS? How does the ACC get two teams in the BCS when they don't even have a team ranked in the Top 10? Boise State sits at No. 7 and can't get a berth. Seriously, the No. 6 (Arkansas), No. 7 (Boise State) and No. 8 (Kansas State) can't get a BCS berth but No. 11 (Virginia Tech) and No. 13 (Michigan) can? Why even have this stupid poll when it really doesn't do anything?LOSING JOE FRAZIER: Look, athletes die like the rest of us and that will always be the case. But Frazier's passing reminded us (a) just how far the sport of boxing has fallen in the decades since and (b) the damage done to guys like him and Muhammad Ali. Warriors in the ring that had the rest of their lives zapped away.LOSING DAVE DUERSON: The former Bear died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He also offered him brain up for research into the effects of football related head injuries on players. Hopefully this research will help try to further safety measures in all sports.LOSING DEREK BOOGAARD: He may not be known that well in the non-hockey world, but the 28-yr old enforcers death needs to shine a huge light on what this role in hockey is doing to the minds of these guys. Boogaard was the the youngest of three recent deaths by enforcers under the age of 40 years old.LOSING AL DAVIS: Love him or hate him, there will never be another owner like him in any sport. Ever. And that's a bad thing. Sun, 18 Dec 2011 11:44:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/sports_in_2011_was_the_year_in_hell/8807065 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/sports_in_2011_was_the_year_in_hell/8807065 Sports In 2011 Was The Year In Hell http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/sports_in_2011_was_the_year_in_hell/8807065 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png I do this every year. Instead of all this BCS bowl crap, we just have a simple 12-team playoff that involves no bowls (other than the title game can be called a BCS championship at a neutral site). Here are the teams that get in:-Every champion of the six BCS conference-Highest ranked non-BCS conference champion-5 at-large bids regardless of conference-Seeding and at large bids are determined by the final BCS standings-Every effort will be attempted to keep conference teams from facing each other in the first round.So here we goDECEMBER 179pm: #12 West Virginia (Big East Champ) at #5 Oregon (Pac12 Champ)12pm: #11 TCU (MWC Champ) at #6 Arkansas6pm: #10 Clemson (ACC Champ) at #7 Boise State3pm: #9 Wisconsin (Big Ten Champ) at #8 Kansas StateDECEMBER 2412pm: Kansas State/Wisconsin at #1 LSU (SEC Champ)9pm: Boise State/Clemson at #2 Alabama3pm: Arkansas/at #3 Oklahoma State (Big 12 Champ)6pm: Oregon/West Virginia at #4 StanfordJANUARY 23:30pm: One national semifinal8pm: Second national semifinalJANUARY 98pm: BCS Championship Sun, 04 Dec 2011 20:40:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/the_sportz_assassin_college_football_playoff_bracket/8513983 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/the_sportz_assassin_college_football_playoff_bracket/8513983 The Sportz Assassin College Football Playoff Bracket http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/the_sportz_assassin_college_football_playoff_bracket/8513983 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Today and tomorrow will be filled by announcements of who is going to which bowl. While most of us will be fixated on who is going to the BCS title game or those usual big time bowls, we get treated to all of those great lesser bowls with their funny names and odd sponsorships.Below are my TOP FIVE:   5-BEEF O BRADY'S BOWL: Bar food gets love. I'm not a huge fan of BOB's, but it's fun to say "Beef O' Brady's Bowl" a bunch of times in a row.4-LITTLE CAESARS PIZZA BOWL: Formerly the Motor City Bowl, the Pizza Pizza Bowl is played in lovely Detroit. Look, we've already had a Papa John's Bowl and they are a much better pizza. I haven't had Little Ceez since I was a single guy sharing an apartment. Crazy bread is quite tasty, though. And when I used to go there, "pizza pizza" actually meant something! You always got TWO PIZZAS no matter what! Now it is a lie!3-MILITARY BOWL PRESENTED BY NORTHROP GRUMMAN: That's a lot to fit on a trophy. Any bowl with "presented by" should make this list (including The Rose Bowl Presented by Vizio). Since Navy is not bowl-eligible, there will be no armed force academy in this game. As for Northrop Grumman ... why are they sponsoring this? They are a global aerospace and defense tech company. Where would sponsoring a bowl game help them?2-BBVA COMPASS BOWL: I didn't even know people bought compasses anymore. Huh? It's a bank? BBVA is a Spanish bank that stands for Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentina and they bought out Compass ... you know, who cares? I know no one watching the game (if anyone does) will.1-FAMOUS IDAHO POTATO BOWL: Formerly the Humanitarian Bowl, it is best known as that bowl played on Boise's ugly blue turf and for the fact that we see games played in freezing weather. The new name is just plain awesome. The logo above is even better. Sun, 04 Dec 2011 15:29:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/funniest_bowl_names/8507374 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_football/article_external/funniest_bowl_names/8507374 The five funniest bowl game names http://www.yardbarker.com/college_football/articles/funniest_bowl_names/8507374 http://www.yardbarker.com/media/2/7/278d3153620d6badad8c879b9e628454cbf83f30/mini/Bowl-Names.jpg I get what the NBA owners are saying. They need a league where every team has a chance to do well and get to the playoffs and get a ring and all that jazz. It sounds great. Sounds fantastic. I mean, it works in the NFL where you can have New Orleans and Indianapolis play for a championship and no one bats an eye. A league where Green Bay can be the latest dynasty.Too bad it's not a great idea for the NBA, though. And history proves it.First off, the NFL is a different beast. They pull in twice the cheese that the NBA does and have more lucrative and centralized TV contracts. While the NBA has national contracts with ESPN/ABC and Turner Sports, each team has to sell their local rights. Obviously, the Knicks and Lakers are worth more than the Kings and Hornets. NFL teams don't have to worry about that.Plus football is followed much more passionately than the NBA.Second off, NBA's own history proves this doesn't make all the sense in the world. I mean, what is the golden era in the NBA? The 1960s? The 1980s? The 1990s? Depending on who you talk to, all of those eras qualify. And what were those eras defined by?Dynasties.In the 1960s, the Boston Celtics won 9 of the 10 championships. Those Celtics beat the Lakers six times in those Finals. The other four Finals losers were the Warriors and Hawks (the Sixers won the only other title).In the 1980s, the Lakers (5) and Celtics (3) combined for eight titles. The Sixers won one title and the Pistons won the other (the first of back-to-back championships). In those 10 Finals, the Lakers went to 8 of them. Boston went to five.The 1990s were dominated by the Bulls. Chicago won six titles, Houston won two. The Pistons and Spurs dynasties bookended the decade.The last era of anyone-can-do-it was the 1970s. Though there are fond memories of that decade, it doesn't bring on the love like the decades surrounding it. The Celtics and Knicks were the only franchises to win multiple titles in the 1970s. The Bullets, Bucks, Lakers, Warriors, Blazers and Sonics each won it once. No dynasties, no love.Now will the New NBA yield this same parity? Probably not. Hopefully not. While fans in Sacramento, Memphis, Utah, Charlotte and Orlando want to see their franchises do well, it doesn't really help the NBA all that much.One of the issues is the NBA itself. Back in the 1980s, there were only 21 teams (there are 30 now). That made the talent level not as spread out as it is ... or has to be ... today. Sure, we didn't have any Miami Heat back then, but we didn't have Toronto, Memphis/Vancouver, Minnesota or New Orleans/Charlotte either.I'm not into contraction, but you have to point out that 9 extra teams means at least 108 extra players in the league and some of your stars stuck in wastelands. I mean, everyone is going gaga over the "Big Threes" of the Celtics, Heatles or the Knicks hopes of landing Chris Paul to go with Carmelo Anthony and Amare Stoudemire. Well, the 1980s Lakers had Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and James Worthy (all Hall Of Famers; all No. 1 overall picks). The 1980s Celtics had Larry Bird, Kevin McHale, Robert Parrish and Dennis Johnson (all HOFers). The 1960s Celtics were loaded with HOFers. The second half of the Chicago Bulls dynasty had HOFers Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen and Dennis Rodman. Rodman was also one of three HOFers on the Pistons back-to-back title teams (Joe Dumars and Isiah Thomas were the others).Since then, it hasn't been the same. Those early 2000s Lakers had Shaq and Kobe ... two of the greatest players to ever play basketball. The Spurs only superduperstar is Tim Duncan.Only one champion in the 2000s has three HOF players.2000-2002 Lakers: Shaq, Kobe2003, 2005, 2007 Spurs: Tim Duncan2004 Pistons: No one2006 Heat: Dwyane Wade, Shaq2008 Celtics: Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, Ray Allen2009-2010 Lakers: Kobe2011 Mavericks: Dirk NowitzkiEven the Finals runners-up weren't stacked ... other than the last two and a bust of a team in 2004.2000 Pacers: Reggie Miller2001 Sixers: Allen Iverson2002-2003 Nets: Jason Kidd2004 Lakers: Shaq, Kobe, Karl Malone, Gary Payton2005 Pistons: No one2006 Mavericks: Dirk Nowitzki2007 Cavaliers: LeBron James2008 Lakers: Kobe2009 Magic: Dwight Howard2010 Celtics: KG, Allen and Pierce2011 Heat: LeBron, WadePoint is, there is no reason to get up in arms that star players are teaming up. The only difference is the stars are making this happen and not owners or GMs. So step back on whining about these megateams. Sun, 04 Dec 2011 11:10:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/nba_owners_logic_doesnt_work/8503978 http://network.yardbarker.com/nba/article_external/nba_owners_logic_doesnt_work/8503978 NBA Owner's Logic Doesn't Work http://www.yardbarker.com/nba/articles/nba_owners_logic_doesnt_work/8503978 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png One of the topics of discussion during all this college conference realignment is the loss of football rivalries. We may not have Texas-Texas A&M anymore. The Pittsburgh-West Virginia Backyard Brawl may not extend. We may not have Missouri-Kansas. Even conference basketball rivalries like Syracuse-Georgetown could be gone.But basketball non-conference rivalries could suffer. Not just rivalries, but big time matchups.One of them is North Carolina-Kentucky. These are two of the biggest blue bloods in college basketball. They have won 12 titles between them and their program's histories are all over the history books. Dean Smith and Adolph Rupp. Rick Pitino and Frank McGuire. Roy Williams and John Calipari. Today is the 12th straight year these two programs have met.But it could end with expansion. Not like a Syracuse-Georgetown rivalry where one team is leaving the conference. No, it is because conference memberships are expanding which could limit the power of non-conference schedules.Next year, the SEC will add Missouri and Texas A&M which will expand the league to 14 teams. That will most likely mean the SEC schedule will expand from 16 to 18 games. The ACC should see the same thing when Syracuse and Pittsburgh join up to the conference in 2013. With NCAA rules stating that you may only have 27 regular season games (along with a early tournament), the non-conference slate will really have to be contained. Right now, most teams have 11 games to play with. That could fall to 9 or even 7 in the near future.So what's the impact? Well, you are going to have to pick and choose what games are most important. John Calipari tweeted to Kentucky fans if there was no other option, what non-conference rivalry would they most like to see end: North Carolina, Louisville or Indiana. The answer would most likely be UNC, since Louisville and Indiana are natural geographical rivalries that have gone on longer that the one with Carolina. The UNC-UK matchups have been big since both programs have been among the elite for most of the series, but neither fanbase would die off without it.With possibly only 9 non conference games to schedule, you have to really be careful. While you cannot just feast on cupcakes, you do have to schedule them. Some are because you want your kids to go back to near the homes so their family can see them play. Almost all of them are only played at home to pump up the coffers. You also have that dead period in December when school is on break and there are few games played. So, as you can see, there is only a limited number of games to schedule those huge non-league battles where you face off in home-and-home series. If you are Kentucky, you have to deal with Indiana and Louisville so that may cost you Carolina. For Carolina, you now have Syracuse and Pitt to deal with as mandatory games, so a game against Kentucky may not be warranted. With roster turnover the way it is, coaches may not want to over-schedule their teams and burn them out. Sat, 03 Dec 2011 11:41:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/could_carolina_kentucky_end/8485735 http://network.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/article_external/could_carolina_kentucky_end/8485735 Could Carolina-Kentucky End? http://www.yardbarker.com/college_basketball/articles/could_carolina_kentucky_end/8485735 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png Thanksgiving weekend is usually rivalry weekend in college football. All those ancient battles we've watched over the years renew and the hatred gets reignited.With all the conference shuffling going on, we could see some of these rivalries come to and end this year (or maybe next). Some of these are over a century old but the lure of money combined with hard feelings are forcing these games to possibly stop.TEXAS-TEXAS A&M: These teams first met in 1894 and is one of the more intense rivalries on Thanksgiving weekend. With Texas A&M's move to the SEC, this rivalry will be dead for a while. While the Aggies want to continue the series, the Longhorns say their schedule is booked through 2018.This is a odd ending. While Oklahoma is a bigger rival to Texas than A&M is, this was still a bitter battle. But one of the big reasons A&M left for the SEC is that they wanted to get away from big brother's shadow. Now they'll have to go it completely alone.KANSAS-MISSOURI: The Border War is named as such because of some Civil War bad blood between the two states. Since Halloween 1891, these schools have been battling on the gridiron. With Mizzou's move to the SEC, this heated rivalry could die out. As in the Texas-Texas A&M rivalry, Kansas is shying away from continuing the Border War due to Missouri's defection to the SEC.PITTSBURGH-WEST VIRGINIA: The Backyard Brawl could be ending this weekend as well. The two schools have met 103 times and it is one of the more unique rivalries in college football. Pittsburgh will be moving to the ACC soon, while West Virginia is moving to the Big XII. With the Big East's insistence to keep all Big East defectors in their conference for two years, this game could have a couple of battles left.Despite both teams changing leagues, I see this game continuing. The ACC has long been able to honor those final interconference rivalry games. We see Clemson face South Carolina, Florida State face Florida and Georgia Tech take on Georgia in the final game of the season (before Virginia Tech joined the ACC, Virginia did play them on the final week as well). The ACC wouldn't mind keeping this game on Thanksgiving weekend which could help keep this game alive. Plus, since both teams are leaving the Big East, there isn't the hard feelings that other rivalries have seen. Wed, 23 Nov 2011 22:06:00 -0500 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/enjoy_these_rivalries_while_they_last/8297155 http://network.yardbarker.com/all_sports/article_external/enjoy_these_rivalries_while_they_last/8297155 Enjoy These Rivalries While They Last http://www.yardbarker.com/all_sports/articles/enjoy_these_rivalries_while_they_last/8297155 http://www.yardbarker.com/images/yb_logo_square_grey.png