Borgolini's Boisterous Blog

Magic dominating Cavs at home.

2009-05-27T20:40:00.000-07:00

Throughout my seldom following of the NBA, there was on thing I was certain of this season; the Cleveland Cavaliers were the most dominant team. Then why now, when they are so close to getting their first title of the franchise's 39-year history, are they starting to show weakness? Yes, the Orlando Magic are tough and had a 1-2 regular season record against the NBA-best 66-16 Cavs, but the Cavs have looked nothing like the regular season or last postseason.

Last year in the Eastern Conference Semifinals the Cavaliers took on the then NBA-regular-season best and eventual NBA Champion Boston Celtics and took the series to game 7. They did fall to an early 0-2 deficit in the series, but managed to win 3 home games.

One common denominator in all of this is road games. Last year in the semifinals against the Celtics, the Cavs lost all of the games on the road. During the regular season this year the Cavs two losses against the Magic came on the road. And in this series the Cavs have lost both games in Orlando.

Another in this series is Dwight Howard. In all of the Magic's wins, Howard has scored at least 20 points. Yes, Rashard Lewis has played a large roll in the series, but how can the team's most dominant player continue to play at such a level? The Cavs, and the league, knows what Howard is capable of.

All but game 3 have been decided by two or fewer points. The Cavs can win this series, but it won't be easy. The good news is they have more home games than road. The bad news - they have to win that one road game.

Charlie Kelly Expresses My Feelings About Steroids in Baseball.

2009-05-08T09:29:00.000-07:00

With the most recent news of Manny Ramirez testing positive for performance enhancing drugs, which I'm sure you're already sick of hearing about, I'm really starting to wondering if there is anyone clean in this sport anymore. I'm not saying that Manny was a saint and that this news shocked me because it really didn't, but it seems like every time the steroid talk starts to calm down something like this happens.

Manny has obviously had several problems in recent years - Manny being Manny - but this most recent news may be the most damaging for him. Manny is often considered as one of the best hitters to ever play the game with a career average of .315, and he is one of the 25 players in history to reach 500 homeruns. He has the fourth highest career average on this list behind: Ted Williams (.344), Babe Ruth (.342) and Jimmie Foxx (.325). Being with that company is impressive, but because he's in the "Steroid Era" and has been caught using performance enhancing drugs, his reputation will suffer.

I don't think Ramirez should be as heavily criticized as others in this situation. Many before Manny have lied after being caught - even to Congress - while Manny admits that he made a mistake. That doesn't mean he should be forgiven, but his image isn't nearly as damaged as Mark McGwire who looked awfully uncomfortable in his testemony in front of Congress years ago.

I'm also surprised that there are so many baseball players who are being caught for this and hardly any in other professional sports. In the NFL, I remember linebacker Shawne Merriman being suspened a four games or so for using, but besides him, I can't think of any other player in recent memory who has been caught. And I never hear about it in the NBA or NHL. Maybe the players in these sports are just better at not getting caught, or maybe the testing in these sports aren't effective enough. Whatever it is, it seems strange to me that MLB players are basically the only players being caught.

I'm sure there are still players who haven't been caught and will be revealed in the near future, but all of this focus on Manny or any player caught using performance enhancing drugs makes me feel like this at times . . .

Softball season comes to an end.

2009-04-30T15:25:00.001-07:00

Plattsburgh State's softball team had its season come to an end today when they lost two games in a double-elimination playoff system. They lost their first game to Brockport and Oneonta, two teams who the Lady Cardinals had a 3-1 record against in the regular season.

I talked with the three freshmen pitchers, and without giving away too much, they basically told me they expected to win their first game against Brockport today. They felt that they should have beat Brockport in both regular season matchups, but they weren't able to get their hitting down in the first game - they let the opposing pitcher throw a no-hitter against them in that matchup.

The three pitchers will be working hard this summer to prepare for what they hope is a more successful 2010 season.

Plattsburgh Softball reaches postseason on strong pitching.

2009-04-29T19:45:00.000-07:00

I'll admit that when I was first told that I would be covering softball for Cardinal Points this semester, I wasn't exactly thrilled like most men in my position wouldn't be. I had covered the sport briefly during my internship at a hometown paper and during my last semester at the community college I attended before Plattsburgh. As the season went on and Plattsburgh's performance improved I found myself becomming more interested in the sport.

A big part of this can be credited to the team's three freshmen pitchers who have performed exceptionally well this semester. Allen, Fedyshyn and Loughran have Plattsburgh State second in the conference in strikeouts with 244 and fourth in the conference in both ERA (1.94) and opponent's batting average (.236). I think it's fair to say that the freshmen's performance this season is a huge reason why the Lady Cardinals find themselves in the postseason. The fact that they managed to keep their opponents average lower than their own .254 average is quite impressive.

For a better understanding of how impressive their opponents average would be, their opponents' combined average would put them in a third-place tie in the MLB. Clearly I am not saying they would be able to pitch against an MLB team, but for holding that average against opponents of the same skill level (or better considering Plattsburgh's 19-21 record) is very impressive. These pitchers have very much kept Plattsburgh in contention for a possible SUNYAC and division III championship. I applaud their efforts and consider covering them next season so I can see how well they perform with a year of experience under their belt.

2009 NFL/Giants Draft brief recap.

2009-04-28T15:46:00.000-07:00

This past weekend's NFL draft was full of headlines (not surprising) and forced many writers and fans alike to seriously question the decisions made by the Oakland Raiders.

The Raiders surprised everyone in attendance and viewing at home as they chose Maryland wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey, who had the fastest 40-yard dash time at the combine (4.30 seconds), with the seventh overall pick when everyone's best receiver, Michael Crabtree, was still available. Crabtree, who put up impressive numbers in his two years at Texas Tech including the second-highest touchdown total in a two-year span with 41, fell to the team across the bay - the San Francisco 49ers. I understand wanting speed at the receiver position as it works for many receivers like Carolina's Steve Smith, New England's Randy Moss, Washington's Santana Moss (no relation), but Heyward Bay's production doesn't even come close to Crabtree's.

In Heyward-Bay's three years at Maryland, he never eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark and never scored more than 5 touchdowns in single season. Crabtree scored 22 touchdowns in his freshman year and 19 this past season. He also had 1962 yards in his freshman year and 1165 last season. Yes, his numbers did drop in his sophomore year, but that was due to Texas Tech being ranked and playing a harder schedule, and team's knowing what Crabtree was capable of.

I personally would have liked to seen Crabtree go to the Niners' rival, the Seattle Seahawks, as the New York Giants didn't have a chance of getting him (If they wouldn't give up picks for Braylon Edwards, I wasn't expecting them to give picks up for Crabtree). I think the Seahawks would have made a good investment with Crabtree as newly-acquired receiver T.J Houshmandzadeh isn't exactly young (He'll be turning 32 this September) and Deion Branch has had a hard time staying healthy. But the Seahawks decided to go with Outside Linebacker Aaron Curry out of Wake Forrest which is wise being that they lost Julian Peterson to the Detroit Lions and removed their franchise tag of Leroy Hill making him a free agent.

The Giants didn't surprise anyone with their 29th overall selection of wide receiver Hakeem Nicks out of North Carolina. The Giants, who are in desperate need of a top receiver, also chose a receiver in the third round - Cal Poly's own 6'6" Ramses Barden. The Giants were looking to get another tall, Plaxico-like receiver with this pick. Hopefully Barden will turn out to be a dangerous redzone threat for years to come.

I also liked the Giants selection of Wisconsin tight end Travis Beckum. Though Beckum was forced to miss six games of the season due to injury, he shined as a big-play tight end in his first two seasons at Wisconsin with over nine hundred yards each season and a total of 11 touchdowns. Beckum will be another nice target for Eli in the redzone next season.

With these picks, the Giants did address their biggest issue of a top receiver. Following Burress' incident, the Giants were 1-3 in the month of December and failed to threaten the Philadelphia Eagles with any passing attack in the divisional round of the playoffs. As mentioned in my last post, receiver Domenik Hixon was expected to step up and fill that need but never did. Again, Hixon showed signs of a top receiver while Burress was still playing, but did not perform when he started for the Giants.

Overall the Giants have a lot of depth at the receiver position next season, and GM Jerry Reese says he's still open to talks about acquiring Browns receiver Braylon Edwards who openly said he would like to play for the New York Giants. Though I don't expect there to be any kind of deal reached, it's still possible. As for now, the Giants will work with the young receivers they have and hope that one of them steps up and fills the void left by Burress.

Edwards to the Giants makes sense.

2009-04-16T22:36:00.000-07:00

As much as General Manager Jerry Reese wouldn't like to address it, it is clear that the New York Giants are in desperate need of a No. 1 receiver. Following Plaxico Burress' unexplainable actions at a night club which saw him shoot himself in the leg trying to catch a gun that had fallen from the waistband of his pants, the Giants are now in need of an elite receiver to be as successful as they were prior to December of the 2008 season. As well as their running game - "Earth, Wind and Fire" - performed (though "Fire," Ahmad Bradshaw, really only got pity time, especially against St. Louis in week 2), it wasn't enough to push them through the final month of the season and the playoffs. This was clearly evident in the Giants' pitiful performance in the NFC Divisional game against the Philidelphia Eagles. In the final two drives, the Giants ran the ball way too much - so much that even me as a viewer knew they would be smart not to run the ball. Just imagine what the Eagles defensive coordinator - Jim Johnson - was thinking: "They couldn't be that stupid." The Giants clearly lost the wrong coordinator this offseason as defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo accepted an offer to become the St. Louis Rams' new head coach. And now "Earth, Wind and Fire" is no more as Derrick Ward or "Wind" has since singed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

To identify the problem lets first look at the current staff of receivers the Giants have to work with. After the departure of long time Giant receiver, Amani Toomer, the Giants are left with very little experience at the receiver position. The most proven of the remaining receivers is third year man, and former USC standout, Steve Smith. While Smith has been very consistant for the Giants, I don't think he is a No. 1 type receiver. He works good in the slot position.

Next would be second year man Mario Manningham who the Giants decided to take a chance with in the third round of the draft last year. Manningham was a celebrated receiver during his time at Michigan, but an injury-plagued rookie season prevented Manningham from proving himself to Giants coaches and fans alike. It should also be noted that this is the same receiver that scored a six on the NFL's Wonderlic test, an I.Q. equivalent of 72. Though, again, he did prove he could be a big time receiver, during his time at Michigan. Lets just hope that carries over to the NFL.

Besides these two hopefuls, the Giants really don't have much else at the receiver position. Sure, they have Super Bowl XLII hero David Tyree still, but he was also plagued with injuries last season. And frankly, he hasn't really done much as a receiver outside of that one game. Domenik Hixon is another name to throw in the mix. He played quite well when Burress was still an active member of the team, but when the Giants called on him to fill in for Burress, Hixon wasn't able to perform at the level he was being asked to.

Because of these problems, the Giants have been the subject of plenty trade talks this offseason to fill that top receiver void. Among the receivers that are being discussed are Cleveland's Braylon Edwards and Arizona's Anquan Boldin. As Much as I appreciate Boldin's toughness - I think he's one of the toughest S.O.B's in the NFL, and as much as I realize that Edwards has serious problems with dropping passes, I think Edwards would be a better fit for the Giants.

When I think of Anquan Boldin, I think of 2005 - one of my favorite years of football. Shaun Alexander had set the then NFL record for the most touchdowns in a season with 28. And fellow teammate and one of my personal favorite receivers, Joe Jurevicius, had an NFL's fifth best 10 receiving touchdowns. The Cardinals were still in their old stadium - Sun Devil Stadium - that they shared with Arizona State. The stadium was almost empty every game because of the team's consistant poor level of play and heat. This October day would have been a brisk autumn one if it were just about anywhere other than the unforgiving heat of Arizona. The Cardinals were facing the Carolina Panthers. Boldin lined up wide left. The ball was hiked by then quarterback Josh "Tears of" McCown (as Chris Berman likes to call him) and he hit Boldin across the middle. Boldin then continued cutting across the field before turning up field and shoulder charging head-on, and absolutely destroying, a Panthers defensive back before reaching the endzone for a touchdown. This is easily one of the most dominating single plays I have ever seen in my 15 or so years following football. The one problem with Boldin is he runs his mouth sometimes. He is not the ideal team player. The Giants don't need anymore off field problems at the receiver position.

Now, when I think of Braylon Edwards, sure, drops are one of the first thing that come to mind. Edwards has been among the top receivers in the dropped passes categories for the past two years. This past season he tied for first in the NFL with the Colts' Dallas Clark with 12 drops. Once you get past the drops, Edwards has proven that he can be an elite receiver in the NFL. In the 2007 season, Edwards went for 1289 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns, which may have been less impressive to some due to Randy Moss' ridiculous 1493 yards and 23 touchdowns that season. And Edwards has not had any trouble with the law or any team conflicts since being drafted 3rd overall by the Cleveland Browns in the 2005 NFL Draft. The only off field news I've heard involving Edwards has been about his various acts of charity work. The Giants would be getting a top receiver in the game without the off-the-field problems. Wouldn't that be nice?

Boldin and Edwards clearly aren't the only options the Giants have, though. There has been the idea of former Colts receiver Marvin Harrison signing with the Giants, but I don't see Harrison being the top receiver the Giants are looking for. Don't get me wrong, Harrison was great in his prime, but his career is slowly fading. I don't see him being in the NFL too much longer.

If none of these options work out, the Giants will have the draft to work with. However, this will be much more difficult to work with. The Giants first selection doesn't come until late in the first round with the 29th overall pick. One name that has been thrown around at this selection by draft analysts has been North Carolina's Hakeem Nicks. I don't think holding on to this pick is a wise idea. The only rookie receiver that would help the Giants get back to their pre-Burress incident of last season is Texas Tech's Michael Crabtree. I know not every prospect with his high level of hype works out - Ryan Leaf - but Crabtree's play in his two seasons at Texas Tech makes me confident that he will work out in the NFL. His 3,127 yards and 41 touchdowns (1,922 yards and 22 touchdowns in his freshman year, 1,165 yards and 19 touchdowns in his sophomore year) remind me of another two-year college receiver - Marshall's own, and aforementioned, Randy Moss. Though, Crabtree doesn't have the same off field troubles that Moss had during his college career - being let go by Notre Dame and Florida State because of behavioral issues. What's more impressive about Crabtree is who he put these numbers up against. Crabtree was on a Texas Tech team that was ranked nationally all of his sophomore year, playing several of Division I's best teams, while Randy Moss played at Marshall, which at the time was a Division I-AA school. And it's hard not to picture Crabtree's amazing display of athleticism in Texas Tech's last second win against Texas when you hear his name. You know the play. The near-endzone camera angle showing Crabtree in his pure black uniform grab the ball on the left sidelines, keep his feet in bounds, turn upfield, remain in bounds as if he is on a tightrope while shrugging off a Texas defensive back who is trying to pull him out of bounds and run in for the game winning touchdown. Yeah, that one.

Despite all that Crabtree can be in the NFL as a receiver, the best course of action for the Giants would be to trade for Braylon Edwards. The rumored asking price for Edwards is a first and third round pick. The Giants have five picks in the first three rounds (an extra second round pick coming from the Saints, part of the Jeremy Shockey trade last summer and a compensatory selection in the third round), so parting ways with a first and third round pick isn't too much to give up for a proven elite receiver. If Braylon Edwards isn't a Giant after the draft, then it is very likely that the Giants won't see the success they experienced during the early part of last season.

On another note, during my time writing this, the big news surrounding football has been John Madden's retirement from broadcasting. Madden has contributed a lot to football as a player, a Hall of Fame coach, a commentator and what is most influential to my generation, the Madden NFL videogame series. I have been a big fan of the series for a while now; though, I also enjoyed the ESPN football games as well. Thinking of this made me remember two "Madden: Next Gen" Commercials. I will leave you with these:

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/5542.html

http://www.gametrailers.com/player/5541.html