My Opinion

The National Basketball Association season tipped off last night and tonight my team,the New York Knicks, begin their season at Madison Square Garden against the Chicago Bulls.The Bulls will have their all world point guard Derek Rose back for the first time in 2 years and the wonder is can he stay healthy because expectations are that they will be a contender to make the finals in June.For the Knicks the expectations are not nearly as high.They have Phil Jackson running the team as general manager and a new coach in Derek Fisher.In Carmelo Anthony they have one of the best players in the game but it’s the surrounding group of players they’ve brought in  combined with the new triangle offense that will determine how well they do.I think they will improve on last years 37 wins and make the playoffs this year.The Atlantic Division is not that strong with Toronto,Bklyn,Boston and Philadelphia all having flaws.If the Knicks can adapt quickly to the triangle offense they can definitely challenge for the division title.It all begins tonight and should be very interesting.That’s my opinion.

My Opinion

I have an issue with the Giants offensive coordinator Ben Mcadoo and defensive coordinator Perry Fewell.The Giants lost to the Dallas Cowboys Sunday 31-21 and while it was a good game to watch for the average person,as a fan I was unhappy with the playcalling by McAdoo and the defensive strategy of Fewell.McAdoo has installed a west coast offense which is predicated on short passes.That’s good but he doesn’t  call any deep passes and it’s difficult to move the ball consistently.Opposing defenses are gearing up to stop these short passes and the only way to keep them off balance is by throwing the ball down the field.The Giants have a speedy receiver in Odell Beckham Jr.their first round pick.He can scare the opposing defense and allow the offense to score more quickly.McAdoo must make better use of his speed.I have never been a big fan of Fewell even though they won a Super Bowl with him.His blitz schemes are terrible and every game I have seen this season the Giants have had a miscommunication in their secondary that has resulted in either a touchdown or big play.Now I’m in no way absolving the players of their share of blame.They must play better and stop making mental mistakes but the job of a coach is to get the most out of the talent he has and put the players in position to succeed.For those who think it’s all about the players and coaches or managers don’t impact a game,just ask the Washington Nationals and Los Angeles Dodgers who lost in the baseball playoffs because of bad decisions by their respective managers.The Giants have enough talent to be a playoff team but McAdoo and Fewell must do a better job with in game decisions.That’s my opinion.

My Opinion

The story of what happened with the Sayreville football team,the accusations of horrible sexual assault and hazing,is not only a microcosm of sports today but of our society as well.From the bullying scandal of the Miami Dolphins to the Penn State locker room homophobic case where an assistant coach was sexually assaulting a student,society has either looked the other way or turned a deaf ear to what’s happening.The Penn State scandal started to cast greater light on these goings on in locker rooms because the victims are afraid to come forth.Who knows how many other schools have had similar situations but the victims are afraid of reprisal.These things have gotten worse and worse over time with individuals or groups taking advantage because they feel they can get away with it.Whether it be initiation into a fraternity or hazing a rookie,sexually assaulting someone is degrading and disgusting.Victims should no longer keep quiet,bring these low lifes to justice.That’s my opinion.

My Opinion

The National Football League season is in full swing and we already have some teams in crisis mode.Every team has played at least 4 games now and if you’re a fan of the Oakland Raiders or Jacksonville Jaguars you’re probably wondering if they will win a game anytime soon.Here in New York,my team,the Giants have turned things around after starting out 0-2.The Jets,on the other hand,won their first game against the Raiders and have lost four straight including getting shutout by the San Diego Chargers 31-0 last Sunday.If you’re a fan of another team besides these I mentioned let me ask you,How’s your team doing? Every fan knows each game means so much because there are only 16 of them.In baseball you usually wait until 50 games have been played before you gauge where your team is but not so in football.There has been much talk by the owners and commissioner about having an 18 game regular season and reducing the preseason to 2 games.I think it’s going to happen eventually.I like it the way it is now.There’s also talk of adding two more teams to the playoffs which I think will happen next season.All this is about is money.The 18 games will add TV revenue and two extra playoff teams will allow the networks now doing the games,CBS,FOX,ESPN,NBC to bid on the games.The NFL is a golden goose that will keep laying even with all the problems they have.We fans can’t get enough.That’s my opinion.