Salim’s Blog

Heat’s Trio: Will Effect Future of NBA

Fri, 16 Jul 2010 10:52:34 -0400

Now that the dust has settled and we have heard all the ridiculous comments and reactions ranging from the media to Dan Gilbert, its time to examine the effect the “3 King’s” decision will have on the NBA. Lebron James, Dwayne Wade, and Chris Bosh made it no secret that they were going to talk to each other about the free agency process, and then they landed on the same team. This is going to set a precedent in the NBA that might lead a huge gap between the good teams and the rest of the pack.

The Miami Heat are now favorites to win the Eastern Conference. There is no doubt in my mind that they will breeze through the regular season and playoffs. James has been compared to Michael Jordan but the reality is he plays more like Magic Johnson. He is a tall, strong, athletic ball handler that looks to get his teammates involved first. He is a descent shooter but is more dangerous when driving to the lane and making plays from the paint.

Wade is a better shooter than James and isn’t afraid to take the big shot. He can score at will and although he is also a slasher, he is a much more versatile scorer than James. He can score inside, outside, and from the free throw line. Wade will be the Heat’s closer in the fourth quarter the majority of the time.

Chris Bosh is a good player but he is not on James and Wade’s level. What Bosh brings to the table is an inside threat. He can provide relief when other teams try to stop the Heat’s explosive fast break. They can run their offense through Bosh who will provide some inside scoring and the ability to run some sets from the inside out.

This experiment will be watched by every NBA player, coach, and fan. If it is successful, which I see no reason why it wouldn’t be, other teams will look to copy the formula the Heat used to win. Fans will start demanding that their teams should look to add multiple high caliber free agents to compete with Miami. This will put unrealistic pressure on front offices and coaches around the league. Inevitably, they will fail which will force players to take matters into their own hands.

I have already heard rumors that Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony are looking to join Amar’e Stoudemire in New York in a year. As exciting as it would be to witness multiple Heatesque teams play, the rest of the teams around the league are going to be very bad. There current gap between good teams and great teams is not very big. However, the trend that James, Wade, and Bosh have set will create a massive separation between the same teams which will lead to many noncompetitive games. Is that really what the NBA wants? The NFL will tell them parity creates competition, and a solid excited fan base which in turn creates growth and cash. The NBA is dangerously close in witnessing a future down turn in their sport but for the mean time it will be fun to watch.

Written by:
Salim Sacre

World Cup: Best XI

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 21:49:32 -0400

Once every four years I get put into a trance for a month. The casual soccer fan starts to pay attention but to me it’s the best time to be a rabid soccer fan. Soccer is a game of passion, speed, power and precision. We got to enjoy all these aspects of the game watching the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. In retrospect, some of the stars we expected and wanted to shine did not deliver but there were plenty of emerging talents that we can look forward to watching in the future. I’ll start by revealing my World Cup XI team but I also added 3 player to watch carefully both on the club and international level as they will shine bright very soon.

The formation I chose included just 3 defenders, 4 midfielders, and 3 forwards. Choosing the forward was easy. These 3 goal scorers all had 5 goals and struck fear in the hearts of every defense they faced.

Diego Forlan - Scoring 5 goals from open play and free kicks this fast Uruguayan talisman was a constant threat and scored one of the best goals of the tournament in a losing effort in the 3rd place game. He won MVP of the tournament in the form of the Golden Ball award.

Thomas Mueller - Scoring 5 goals the young German was the most influential player on his team. He was a major threat on every counter attack his team used to thrash England and Argentina, 4-1 and 4-0 respectively. He also brought home the Golden boot awarded to the top goal scorer (won due to tie breaker, assists).

David Villa - Scoring 5 goals the Barcelona bound Spaniard proved he is one of the worlds deadliest finishers. He rescued Spain several times and scored a beauty against Chile capitalizing on a mistake by the goalie. Without his timely goal scoring Spain might not have gotten out of their group.

The midfielders chosen vary in styles and contribution to their teams but were all very important to the success of their squads.

Bastian Schweinsteiger - Leading every counter attack with intelligent decision making this young but experienced German (along with Mueller) was masterful against England and Argentina. Along with his strength and rocket for a right foot he proved that he is one of the most versatile midfielders in the world.

Xavi/Iniesta - Controlling the midfield for their club Barcelona FC these 2 Spaniards have to be mentioned in the same breath. Xavi is a calming influence always buzzing around the ball and links the defense to the offense with precision passing. Iniesta is the more offensive player of the two. He has mind blowing control of the ball and is capable of getting by any opponent while making it look it easy.

Wesley Sneijder - Leading his team with 5 goals this 26 year old Dutchman took the World Cup tournament by storm. One of the shortest players in the world cup played big scoring 2 goals and bouncing powerhouse Brazil out of the tournament.

The defenders chosen vary in size but are excellent defenders and are the heart and souls of their respective teams.

Lucio - Defending with passion and force this Brazilian was again very strong on the back line. He not only is tough to beat, his ball skills are amongst the best at his position. His Champions League title will have to do as he was unsuccessful in winning which, at 32, will probably be his last World Cup.

Carles Puyol - Flying through the air with hair flopping around in every direction will be a lasting image of this passionate Spaniard. His defense seemed to have dropped off but he proved everyone wrong with a very strong World Cup showing. His header that beat Germany in the semifinals will be etched in the mind of every Spanish fan.

Philipp Lahm - Defending as a right back (normally a left back) this German captained his team to third place. He was steady and the fact that teams decided to attack the side opposite to Lahm speaks volumes. The crafty defender has plenty to be proud of as his team was one of the most exciting teams to watch.

Iker Casillas - Captaining his team to 433 minutes without conceding a goal this Spanish goalkeeper is hailed as one of the best of all time. With a great defense in front of him he didn’t have much action but when called upon, he made some spectacular saves keeping Spain alive. He raised the World Cup trophy screaming with joy realizing a childhood dream,he is truly a worthy champion.

Here are a couple of players that instantly caught my eye. All three are young and will be forces to be reckoned with in future World Cup tournaments.

Fabio Coentrao - Playing in arguably the toughest group this Portuguese defender showed he is not afraid of the big stage. He was constantly stopping the opposition and wasn’t afraid to move forward when necessary. The left back has a very bright future ahead of him.

Mesut Oezil - Attacking with speed and urgency this young German (Turkish origin) is a star in the making. His silky smooth ball skills along with his vision are assets that every midfielder should possess. He was influential in his teams run to the semifinals, evidently this young playmaker will have a long and successful career.

Javier Hernandez - Scoring at an alarming rate at his club this young Mexican striker is powerful, fast and knows his way around the goal. He only scored a couple of goals during his limited playing time and showed why Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United manager, was so eager to sign him.

This year’s World Cup was a huge success and although the final didn’t have many goals, it crowned a worthy champion. Now we have the new domestic league seasons to look forward to as teams jockey to win their leagues and clubs strive to be the best in the world.

Written by:
Salim Sacre

World Cup: More Goals Please!

Mon, 14 Jun 2010 13:38:39 -0400

The 2010 World Cup kicked off on Friday. Many soccer fans were excited and couldn’t wait to get the festivities started. With the matches lacking both goals and star performances, the casual fan’s never ending argument claiming that soccer is boring cannot be refuted...so far. The slow start could be a blessing in disguise leading to a furious pace the rest of the way. Considering the new soccer ball, the favorites have yet to play, and the stars have yet to shine; the World Cup still has time to reverse the goalless trend that has plagued the start of the tournament.

Goalies and field players have been complaining that the new ball is very difficult to stop and control when in the air. It swerves, dips, and knuckles all over the place (more details here) making it difficult to negotiate the flight of the ball. The players in this tournament are incredible athletes. As they get more time on the ball they will get used to it and get back to scoring goals. At the time this article was written only 9 games had been played, leaving 55 games left. That leaves plenty of games for the soccer ball to fly by goalies.

We have seen a couple of good teams play (Argentina, Netherlands, England, USA) but other than Germany, the great teams have yet to play. Italy, Brazil, and Spain could and will change the landscape of this tournament. Italy is the reigning World Cup champions with infamous suffocating defense and deceptively good offense. Brazil is the most popular team because they play attractive attacking soccer. Every player wearing the yellow shirt is capable of embarrassing opponents with mind boggling skills, passing, and pinpoint accuracy when shooting on goal. Spain might be the best team in the World Cup. They boast the deepest midfield and have been the hottest team in the past couple of years already having won a major championship, the 2008 European Championship.

Stars of the game like Wayne Rooney and Thierry Henry had very disappointing and uninspired 1st games and if it wasn’t for Nigerian keeper, Vincent Enyeama, Lionel Messi would have had at least 2 goals. Lucky for us, we have many more stars yet to play. Christiano Ronaldo has yet to play to his full potential on the international stage but all those who have watched him play for Real Madrid and for Manchester United in the past, know what he is capable of doing. Ivory Coast star, Didier Drogba, broke his right arm right before the tournament, and if he plays, we will see the rare combination he possesses of power and skill. Along with the players mentioned above, almost every player on Brazil’s and Spain’s rosters are capable of highlight reel quality.

With just 15% of the games played, it’s not difficult to say that the best is yet to come. The players in this tournament are amongst the best in the world and are too good not to score more goals. Some of the stars have not played up to their high standards and others have yet to play. Brazil and Spain will bring the offense back to the 2010 World Cup setting the tone the rest of the way. Click here to see some incredible goals from past World Cups, the video will give you faith that something special is about to happen and you don’t want to miss it.

Written by:
Salim Sacre

Blackhawks: 2010 Stanley Cup Winners

Fri, 11 Jun 2010 00:06:07 -0400

The Chicago Blackhawks, as I predicted, won their first Stanley Cup in 49 years with an overtime goal in game 6. It was a tight series with each team winning 2 games in a row before an awkward goal sent the pesky Philadelphia Flyers home for good. The goal scorer, Patrick Kane, seemed to be the only one who knew the game and series was over celebrating for a couple of seconds before his teammates joined him. Having come back from an 0-3 deficit to beat the Bruins and then getting by the Canadians, the Flyers were resilient. Unfortunately for them, they came up a little short.

Chicago’s professional teams have historically struggled to win championships (minus the Jordan years). The Chicago White Sox waited 88 years to win their title and the Cubs are nicknamed the “the lovable losers” for a reason, not having won a championship in over 100 years. The Bulls were the only team that the city could depend on winning 6 championships in 9 years in the 1990’s.

The Blackhawks beat the Nashville Predators, Vancouver Canucks, and San Jose Sharks along the way to the cup. Their offense was potent scoring more than 5 goals in 8 out of their 22 games. Jonathan Toews, the 22 year old captain, picked up the MVP award and seconds later was called back over by NHL commissioner, Gary Bettman, to hoist the Stanley Cup above his head screaming on his way back to his teammates. The bearded hockey players took turns kissing and lifting the cup as they realized they had reached the pinnacle of professional hockey.

During the post-game analysis, long time Blackhawk Jeremy Roenick was so elated for the team that he was visibly emotional about the victory. A victory he was unable to attain when he played so well for the team in his past. Blackhawk fans erupted watching the team end their 49 year winless streak and finally bringing the cup back to Chicago.

Congratulations to the Chicago Blackhawks for a fantastic season!

Written by:
Salim Sacre

Golf Tournament: TBSC

Tue, 8 Jun 2010 22:30:02 -0400

The Tampa Bay Sports Commission (TBSC) is dedicated to bringing sporting events to the Tampa Bay area. On June 7th, 2010, I volunteered for one of their major fundraiser golf challenges hosted at Old Memorial Golf Club. The outing boasted 18 foursomes that represented all 3 major professional teams of Tampa Bay (Rays, Lightning, and Buccaneers) and countless influential businesses such as TECO, Coca-Cola, and Waste Management. The tournament was blessed with almost perfect weather (rained out with 1 hole to go), great people, and fantastic food.

I arrived at 7 in the morning and met 2 staff members of TBSC. They were both very friendly and after a second look, I realized that I knew one of the members from my college days. They gave me a couple of simple tasks to complete before I assisted the Old Memorial staff in greeting the players. I was then assigned to the Par 3 4th hole for the remainder of the day. Myself along with 4 other volunteers helped pass out chicken and steak wraps donated by Outback and explained to the oncoming foursomes that a hole in one was awarded with $10,000 cash.

There were some good shots and some miserable ones but overall everyone was having a good time. Being away from the office and on the golf course for a good cause kept everybody smiling. Some of the people in attendance included Dave Andreychuck, Skip Holtz, Chris Dingman, Chucky Atkins, Bill Wickett, and other influential people who understand the economic importance of continuing to host big sporting events in Tampa Bay.

With everyone having 1 hole left to play, the horn sounded signaling golfers to get off the course and make their way to the club house due to inclement weather. An announcement was made about 20 minutes later telling the attendees that they would not be resuming play. The 18 foursomes and the volunteers along with other vendors entered a large tent where awards were presented and sponsors along with key figures were acknowledged.

No one went home empty handed or hungry. Under Armour shirts and brief cases along with Callaway golf balls were given to every participant when they first arrived and registered. There also was a raffle that presented almost everyone in attendance with prizes such as golf clubs, coolers, watches, gift certificates, and signed sports memorabilia as everyone ate steak dinners courtesy of Outback Steakhouse again.

The event was wildly successful and it’s evident that the Tampa Bay Sports Commission has earned the trust and respect of many Tampa Bay residents. They have successfully brought the 1st and 2nd rounds of the 2010-2011 NCAA Men’s March Madness tournament back to Tampa, along with the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four, and the 2015 NCAA Women’s Final Four. The dynamic organization is working on many more projects to continue exposing Tampa Bay as a thriving city with the capability of hosting any national and international sporting event.

Written by:
Salim Sacre