Waste of Money

The Washington Nationals agreed on a huge contract with outfielder Jayson Werth. The veteran will get paid for the next seven years which will bring him into his late 30's. The Nationals will be paying this overrated veteran close to 20 million dollars when he is close to retiring. If anything, I think the Nationals should have went with less years and a lot less money

New Style of Football

During the Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens game, it seems like the officials are inconsistent about their calls on hits. After Heath Miller dropped a pass, the Baltimore safety hit the tight end in the head region for no reason. However, the safety was not penalized for some reason and the Ravens got away with a big penalty. I think the referees need to be more consistent with this new style of touch football.

Who to Blame?

After the Dallas Cowboys recent loss, head coach Wade Phillips was fired. Who is to blame for the 1-7 start, Wade Phillips or the players? In my opinion, I dont think all of the blame should fall on Phillips because the Cowboys have posted good numbers in every game. Their reason for losing is their turnovers, mainly fumbles. How is it the coaches fault for ball control. Other than that, I agree with the firing, because the Cowboys needed some kind of change to possibly start winning again, even though their season is basically over.

Legal Hit?

There has been questions on whether James Harrison's hit at the end of the Steelers and Bengals was a legal hit. Why not? The hit was absolutely legal because he went to tackle with his shoulders first and not his helmet. If he gets fined for his hit, there will be many angry fans as well as angry Steelers.

Vick's Used Dog Sale

Mike Vick is supposed to play and start this Sunday. In an interview, he said that he needs to change his ways of running. Before the injury, his style was to take the hit to get more yards, rather than slide or run out of bounds. In my opinion, I think he will go back to regular form and run as hard as he can to get the extra yards. In Philadelphia, there has been this quarterback battle all season, but I think after Kevin Kolb's last game, Vick should get the start. While playing under Vick, the Eagles played spectacular and not so great when Kolb was under center. If the Eagles want to win, they will play Vick, but they will not win the Super Bowl.

The "Decision"

Lebron James' decision to take his talents to South Beach did not end in a good way. In a recent interview, he said he would do his decision differently. In my opinion, I think he made his decision into an event and bigger than it was suppose to be. There was no reason to have an hour long interview on ESPN about where he was going to play next season. He should have told his former team of the decision first and then announced it to the rest of the world. I think he will regret his decision to go public on ESPN about it, but he will not regret going to Miami, where he will probably win atleast 2 championships in his 5 year contract.

Melo to the Big Apple?

Recent rumors have shown Carmelo Anthony drawing more interest in New York. The Knicks have expressed even more interest in the all-star. They are looking to set up a "Big Three" of their own after watching the Miami Heat sign 3 mega-free agents this offseason. Throughout the season, Denver will eventually trade the small forward if he does not sign his contract extension. If he does not sign and is not traded, Denver will most likely lose him in free agency and receive nothing. Denver's best move is to lower their value in the trades and unload Anthony before they lose him.

Father Time

Should Brett Favre play this Sunday? In my opinion, I think he should sit out and not worry about his current streak of games played. If he plays, he will not be 100% and could possibly hurt the team by having turnovers on offense like last week. He should just sit out and watch his team from the sideline. I think Tavaris Jackson would do a better job than a hurt Brett Favre.

Strict Rules in the NFL

What are some of your opinions on the recent controversy on some big hits in the NFL? In my opinion, I feel as the NFL is ruining the game of football. I can see the league looking out for players and possible injuries, but thats the game itself. Without big hits like that, people might as well call it soccer from now on. Now there are some hits that deserved to be reviewed but not all of them. This past Sunday, several players faced possible suspensions because of their hits. Not all of the hits were dirty, but the safety from the New England Patriots did take a cheap shot. If the NFL decides to start suspending players for playing the game how its suppose to be, football will not be football for much longer.

Phantom Injury

In the last Washington Wizards' preseason game, starting shooting guard, Gilbert Arenas, went public about himself faking an injury for his teammate, Nick Young. Arenas orginally said he couldn't play because of a lingering knee injury, so management started backup Nick Young. After the game, Arenas told the media that he sat out so Young could get more playing time. I do not agree with what Arenas did. As a paid professional ball player, you should not try to fake an injury to not play in the game, and still get paid for it. I can see that Arenas did a favor for fellow teammate Young, but why would you tell that to the media? I think Arenas want all of the attention on him, after Young put up over 20 points in his start. A little advice for Arenas in the future, don't tell the media that you are faking an injury because it will go public!

Favre Scandal

Does anyone believe this story about Brett Favre? If you have not heard, Favre has been accused of sending inappropriate pictures and messages to a former New York Jets employee. In my personal opinion, I don't think it actually happen because low-end people try to expose professional ball players to get themselves publicly recognized. Even though Favre's news conference seemed a bit shaky with him not declining the accusation, the situation is still up in the air and is currently in review by the league.

Extended Season

What are some thoughts on the NFL looking into extend the season schedule to 18 games? In my opinion, I think the NFL should stay put with the regular 16 games for the players sake. All NFL players throw their bodies out every week sometimes severely injuring themselves. From a fan's persective, I would want the NFL season to be extended because football is a great sport to watch and with a larger schedule, we can watch more games. But, I am looking out for the players on this subject. NFL player's careers would be greatly shortened in my opinion because more games means a greater chance of getting injured.

Heat Training Camp Heating Up

This summer when Lebron James left Cleveland to join two all-stars in Miami, he instantly became one of the most hated basketball players. Lebron went from the King of Ohio to just a side kick with Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. I don't think that its right for retired players such as Magic Johnson and Michael Jordan to go on air and disrespect Lebron the way they did. He can make his own choices and in my opinion was very unselfish. Instead of staying to be the team leader and earning more money, he will share duties and take less money. I don't see why fans and critics would hate him for that. He thought that would be his best possible way to win a championship and he viewed Cleveland as a contender, but he feels like its almost guarenteed now. Chris Bosh left to join Miami also and you never hear his name negatively even though he did the same thing as Lebron. If I were Lebron, I would keep my mouth shut and not talk to the press about anything, but the season ahead. There was no need to blame "race" for how he has been treated by the fans and media. He just needs to let his game do the talking and start rebuilding his name, even though in my opinion is tarnished.

New York Jets

What are some opinions on the Jets?? With all of the hype in the offseason it sounded like they were one of the best teams in the league. They brought in a couple great veterans to get better, but I don't see any changes. Yes, on paper their team looks good, but i don't think they will win their division. I think the Patriots will still take the division and the Jets might possibly fight for a wild card. It seems like the Jets turned more into a show than a football team. With Rex Ryan, Darrelle Revis, Santanio Holmes, and Braylon Edwards, the team just can't stay out of trouble. To add to their extremely confidence, the television show "Hard Knocks" does not help their image. I think the 2010 Jets are a fluke and deserve no consideration as one of the best teams in the league.

Introduction

Hey everyone, my name is Mario Morante. I am a sophomore at Slippery Rock University where I am currently majoring in Business Management with a minor in Sport Management. I graduated from Plum Senior High School in 2009 where I played basketball for two years and volleyball for three years. I am a big sports fan, I love watching each and every game, especially basketball. I also enjoy going to all Pittsburgh Steelers games with season tickets. My favorite sports teams are the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Denver Nuggets.